Abstract
Tidal energy is one of the most predictable forms of renewable energy. Although there has been much commercial and R&D progress in tidal stream energy, tidal range is a more mature technology, with tidal range power plants having a history that extends back over 50 years. With the 2017 publication of the “Hendry Review” that examined the feasibility of tidal lagoon power plants in the UK, it is timely to review tidal range power plants. Here, we explain the main principles of tidal range power plants, and review two main research areas: the present and future tidal range resource, and the optimization of tidal range power plants. We also discuss how variability in the electricity generated from tidal range power plants could be partially offset by the development of multiple power plants (e.g. lagoons) that are complementary in phase, and by the provision of energy storage. Finally, we discuss the implications of the Hendry Review, and what this means for the future of tidal range power plants in the UK and internationally.
Highlights
Much of the energy on Earth that is available for electricity generation, the formation of hydrocarbons, originates from the Sun
We focus on the resource of the northwest European shelf seas (NWESS), since this is a region that includes existing (La Rance) and proposed (Swansea Bay) tidal range schemes (Section 2), in addition to hosting around a quarter of the global theoretical resource (Table 3)
Following publication of the 2017 “Hendry Review”, which made over 30 recommendations in support of a tidal lagoon programme, tidal range power plants, tidal lagoons, are gaining governmental support and generating commercial interest
Summary
Much of the energy on Earth that is available for electricity generation, the formation of hydrocarbons, originates from the Sun. The plant operation is based on the principle of creating an artificial tidal phase difference by impounding water, and allowing it to flow through turbines. Turbines are located in water passages across the embankment, and convert the potential energy created by the head difference into rotational energy, and subsequently into electricity via generators. The manner and how much of the potential energy is extracted from the tides largely depends on the regulation of the turbines and sluice gates [7] They can be designed to generate power one-way, i.e. ebb-only or flood-only, or bidirectionally. In two-way power generation, energy is extracted on both the flood and ebb phases of the tidal cycle, with sluicing occurring around the times of high and low water [8,9].
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