Abstract
Tidal flows around the Channel Islands contain a significant energy resource that if harnessed could provide electrical power to the Channel Islands, the UK and France. We have developed a new 2D hydrodynamic model of the English Channel which gives an improvement to the temporal and spatial resolution of the ambient flow in comparison with previous regional scale resource assessments. The ambient flow was characterised to identify suitable sites, resulting in a reduction in total development area of up to 80% compared with previous studies. Estimates for upper bound energy extraction confirm that Alderney Race contains the majority of the Channel Islands resource, giving a maximum potential of 5.1 GW, which exceeds a previous estimate for the Pentland Firth by 35%. This is followed by Casquets (0.47 GW) and then Big Roussel (0.24 GW). Our work shows that energy extraction at Alderney Race has a constructive impact on the resource at Casquets, and that the sensitivity to added drag at each site with respect to energy extraction is highly dependent on bathymetry and the proximity of coastlines. These results have implications for the overall resource development within the Channel Islands, where regulation is needed to account for site-site interaction.
Highlights
The Channel Islands are a collection of five main islands located to the west of the Cotenin Peninsula in Normandy, France (Fig. 1)
Our results indicate that Alderney Race has the greatest potential in the Channel Islands which is significant given that it is approximately 136% that of the maximum average power potential estimated for the Pentland Firth in Scotland [6]
We have carried out a systemic analysis of power extraction around the Channel Islands focussing on three sites e Alderney, Casquets and Big Roussel
Summary
The Channel Islands are a collection of five main islands located to the west of the Cotenin Peninsula in Normandy, France (Fig. 1). In reports commissioned by the Carbon Trust [1,2] five sites were identified as suitable for tidal energy development based on tidal current velocities (mean neap peak and mean spring peak velocities), bathymetry and available area. These include three main sites of medium to high potential (Alderney Race, Casquets and Big Roussel) and two low potential sites off the North West coast of Guernsey and off the North East coast of Jersey. Past studies have relied on low spatial and temporal resolution flow data, which
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