Abstract
The Cook Strait in New Zealand is an ideal location for wind and tidal renewable sources of energy due to its strong winds and tidal currents. The integration of both technologies can help to avoid the detrimental effects of fossil fuels and to reduce the cost of electricity. Although tidal renewable sources have not been used for electricity generation in New Zealand, a recent investigation, using the MetOcean model, has identified Terawhiti in Cook Strait as a superior location for generating tidal power. This paper investigates three different configurations of wind, tidal, and wind plus tidal sources to evaluate tidal potential. Several simulations have been conducted to design a DC-linked microgrid for electricity generation in Cook Strait using HOMER Pro, RETScreen, and WRPLOT software. The results show that Terawhiti, in Cook Strait, is suitable for an offshore wind farm to supply electricity to the grid, considering the higher renewable fraction and the lower net present cost in comparison with those using only tidal turbines or using both wind and tidal turbines.
Highlights
The World Energy Outlook 2019 clarifies the effect of current decisions on energy systems in the future
This paper investigates the best scenario in Cook Strait for a microgrid using wind and tidal energy as Cook Strait has the greatest potential for tidal energy in New Zealand
The renewable fraction of wind-only scenario (36 W) is 66.3%, which is higher than the tidal-only scenario (63.9%) and the combined wind and tidal sources (65.4%)
Summary
The World Energy Outlook 2019 clarifies the effect of current decisions on energy systems in the future. With the negative climate impact of fossil-fuel power generation and the requirement of global policy to shift towards a green mix of energy production, the investment in renewable energy is an opportunity in developing countries. In New Zealand, the Government set a target to reach 90% electricity production from renewable sources by 2025 [4,5] and 100% by 2035 [6]. There are 11,349 km of transmission lines that distribute electricity from remote areas, where generators are located, all over New Zealand. These bi-directional cables carry 350 kW electricity [6]
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