Tidal Energy Resource Refinement
Nowadays, marine renewable energy is gaining enormous interest as an energy resource alternative to fossil fuels to mitigate the impact of climate change and provide energy security. Among all the available resources, tidal stream energy is one of the most reliable because of its high predictability and ideal locations near coastal communities. Before deploying the tidal turbine farms, it is essential to plan a thorough resource characterization and assessment of the in-stream tidal power. During the resource assessment, it is common to 1) estimate the theoretical power available using different semi-analytical methods (e.g., Garrett and Cummins, 2005); and then use 2) high-resolution tidal hydrodynamic simulations following IEC standards to provide reliable datasets at desired spatial and temporal scales.
Key summaries from this work:
We are using numerical modeling to investigate the accuracy of the Garrett and Cummins (2005) for two independent ocean basins connected by a single channel, subsequently checking the efficacy of the underlying assumptions to improve resource assessment for multi-channel and multi-constituent systems.
The application of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards for tidal stream energy resource characterization. Specific IEC requirements considered here include - model selection (2D vs. 3D), model grid resolution, model validation, simulation period, harmonic forcing, the inclusion of energy extraction, model calibration and validation, and the result analysis.
We have added a Tidal Energy Converter module to the existing 3D ocean model FVCOM 4.3 based on Yang et al. (2013) to estimate the extractable power by industrial turbines and assess the respective changes in estuarine tidal processes.
Journal publications:
- Yang, Z., Wang, T., Branch, R., Xiao, Z. and Deb, M., “Tidal stream energy resource characterization in the Salish Sea”, Renewable Energy 172, 188-208 (2021).
Conference abstracts and presentations:
Yang, Z., Wang, T. and Deb, M. (2022) “Characterizing tidal stream energy in the Salish Sea”, Abstract submitted, 2022 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference, WA, April 26 - 28.
Yang, Z., Deb, M. and Wang, T. (2022) “Tidal energy resource characterization following IEC standards – a case study in Tacoma Narrow, WA”, Abstract submitted, Ocean Sciences Meeting 2022, Honolulu, HI, Feb 27 - Mar 4.
Falcone, M., Haas, K. A., Deb, M. and Yang, Z. (2022) “Investigation of tidal energy resource assessment estimates and associated assumptions using numerical modeling”, Abstract submitted, Ocean Sciences Meeting 2022, Honolulu, HI, Feb 27 - Mar 4.