• Energy Research

The continued increase in the demand for energy, growing recognition of climate change impacts, high oil and gas prices and the rapid depletion of fossil fuel reserves have led to an increased interest in the mass generation of electricity from renewable sources. Traditionally, this has been pursed through riverine hydropower plants, with onshore wind systems growing steadily in popularity and importance over the years. Other renewable energy resources, which were previously not economically attractive or technically feasible for large scale exploitation, are now being considered to form a significant part of the energy mix. Amongst these, marine and in particular, tidal energy resource has become a serious candidate for undergoing mass exploitation in the near future, particularly in places with a tidal range of 4 m or more. Tidal renewable energy systems are designed to extract the kinetic or potential energy flow and convert it into electricity. This can be achieved by placing tidal stream turbines in the path of high speed tidal currents or through tidal range schemes, where low head turbines are encapsulated in impoundment structures, much like in low head riverine hydropower schemes. It is thought that these systems, when implemented at scales required to generate substantial amounts of electricity, have the potential to significantly alter the tidal flow characteristics, which could have knock-on impacts on the hydro-environment. This review gathers together knowledge from different research areas to facilitate an evaluation of the potential hydro-environmental impacts of tidal renewable energy systems, with a particular focus on water quality. It highlights the relevance of hydroenvironmental modelling in assessing potential impacts of proposed schemes and identifies areas where further research is needed. A case study is presented of recent modelling studies undertaken for the Severn Estuary.

The continued increase in the demand for energy, growing recognition of climate change impacts, high oil and gas prices and the rapid depletion of fossil fuel reserves have led to an increased interest in the mass generation of electricity from renewable sources. Traditionally, this has been pursed through riverine hydropower plants, with onshore wind systems growing steadily in popularity and importance over the years. Other renewable energy resources, which were previously not economically attractive or technically feasible for large scale exploitation, are now being considered to form a significant part of the energy mix. Amongst these, marine and in particular, tidal energy resource has become a serious candidate for undergoing mass exploitation in the near future, particularly in places with a tidal range of 4 m or more. Tidal renewable energy systems are designed to extract the kinetic or potential energy flow and convert it into electricity. This can be achieved by placing tidal stream turbines in the path of high speed tidal currents or through tidal range schemes, where low head turbines are encapsulated in impoundment structures, much like in low head riverine hydropower schemes. It is thought that these systems, when implemented at scales required to generate substantial amounts of electricity, have the potential to significantly alter the tidal flow characteristics, which could have knock-on impacts on the hydro-environment. This review gathers together knowledge from different research areas to facilitate an evaluation of the potential hydro-environmental impacts of tidal renewable energy systems, with a particular focus on water quality. It highlights the relevance of hydroenvironmental modelling in assessing potential impacts of proposed schemes and identifies areas where further research is needed. A case study is presented of recent modelling studies undertaken for the Severn Estuary.

One of the key aspects of Tidal Range Schemes globally is identifying the most appropriate site and the optimised design and operation of the scheme, to maximise societal needs and the benefits from electricity generation. Variations in the design parameters of Tidal Range Schemes for electricity generation could therefore lead to a very large number of design and operation scenarios. In this study, a novel Genetic Algorithm model was developed to deliver the complete design of the most optimised Tidal Range Schemes for electricity generation, including the number of turbines, sluicing areas and the maximum amount of electricity that could be generated, through identifying the most optimised operation scheme for a particular site. The Genetic Algorithm model has been used to design a new Tidal Range Scheme proposed for development in the Bristol Channel, UK, with a potential to generate about 7.16 TWh/yr. The design of the scheme was also investigated using a traditional grid search approach for a range of scenarios, together with the model being used to investigate the performance of the complete design of the scheme, evaluated through a comparison of the most optimised design in terms of electricity generation. This comparison has shown that the Genetic Algorithm model was capable of achieving largely the same outcomes and reducing the computational time by approximately 95% to that based on using traditional Grid Search methods.

One of the key aspects of Tidal Range Schemes globally is identifying the most appropriate site and the optimised design and operation of the scheme, to maximise societal needs and the benefits from electricity generation. Variations in the design parameters of Tidal Range Schemes for electricity generation could therefore lead to a very large number of design and operation scenarios. In this study, a novel Genetic Algorithm model was developed to deliver the complete design of the most optimised Tidal Range Schemes for electricity generation, including the number of turbines, sluicing areas and the maximum amount of electricity that could be generated, through identifying the most optimised operation scheme for a particular site. The Genetic Algorithm model has been used to design a new Tidal Range Scheme proposed for development in the Bristol Channel, UK, with a potential to generate about 7.16 TWh/yr. The design of the scheme was also investigated using a traditional grid search approach for a range of scenarios, together with the model being used to investigate the performance of the complete design of the scheme, evaluated through a comparison of the most optimised design in terms of electricity generation. This comparison has shown that the Genetic Algorithm model was capable of achieving largely the same outcomes and reducing the computational time by approximately 95% to that based on using traditional Grid Search methods.

An accurate assessment of the hydro-environmental impacts of tidal range energy schemes, where the performance of the scheme has an impact on the marine environment and ecology, is crucial in optimising the design and development of such schemes. A proposal for a new coastally-attached impoundment, namely West Somerset Lagoon, has been investigated in this research and the numerical model TELEMAC-2D has been refined to model theimpacts of this scheme on the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary. Domain decomposition was applied and full momentum conservation between the subdomains was included in the model by implementing momentum source terms at the turbine locations. The results have confirmed the importance of including full momentum conservation in modelling the effects of turbo-machinery in tidal lagoons. It was found that the operation of the scheme decreased the high water level slightly in the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary, while there was a decrease in the low intertidal areas. The maximum velocity and bed shear stress were predicted to increase in the inner Bristol Channel, while they decreased noticeably across most of the interior of the lagoon, away from the turbine wakes. Furthermore, the operation of the lagoon significantly improved the water renewal in the region.

An accurate assessment of the hydro-environmental impacts of tidal range energy schemes, where the performance of the scheme has an impact on the marine environment and ecology, is crucial in optimising the design and development of such schemes. A proposal for a new coastally-attached impoundment, namely West Somerset Lagoon, has been investigated in this research and the numerical model TELEMAC-2D has been refined to model theimpacts of this scheme on the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary. Domain decomposition was applied and full momentum conservation between the subdomains was included in the model by implementing momentum source terms at the turbine locations. The results have confirmed the importance of including full momentum conservation in modelling the effects of turbo-machinery in tidal lagoons. It was found that the operation of the scheme decreased the high water level slightly in the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary, while there was a decrease in the low intertidal areas. The maximum velocity and bed shear stress were predicted to increase in the inner Bristol Channel, while they decreased noticeably across most of the interior of the lagoon, away from the turbine wakes. Furthermore, the operation of the lagoon significantly improved the water renewal in the region.

In recent years, there have been growing international challenges relating to climate change and global warming, with a conflict developing between the need to create a low-carbon economy and rapid depleting reserves of fossil fuels. In addition to these challenges there continues to be the added complexity of a significant global increase in energy demand. Marine renewable energy from tidal barrages is carbon-free and has the potential to make a significant contribution to energy supplies now and in the future. Therefore, it is appropriate to evaluate the total energy that can be extracted from such barrages. In this study two different methods are proposed to estimate the total annual energy output from a barrage, including a theoretical estimation based on the principle associated with tidal hydrodynamics, and a numerical estimation based on the solutions obtained from a 2D hydrodynamic model. The proposed Severn Barrage in the UK was taken as a case study, and these two methods were applied to estimate the potential annual energy output from the barrage. The predicted results obtained using the two methods indicate that the magnitude of the annual energy output would range from 13 to 16 TWh, which is similar to the value of 15.6 TWh reported by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, in the UK. Further investigations show that the total annual energy output would increase by about 15% if a higher discharge coefficient were to be adopted for the sluice gates, or if the turbine performance were to be improved. However, the estimated annual energy output could exceed the value of 16 TWh if future technological advances in both sluice gate construction and turbine performance are included.

In recent years, there have been growing international challenges relating to climate change and global warming, with a conflict developing between the need to create a low-carbon economy and rapid depleting reserves of fossil fuels. In addition to these challenges there continues to be the added complexity of a significant global increase in energy demand. Marine renewable energy from tidal barrages is carbon-free and has the potential to make a significant contribution to energy supplies now and in the future. Therefore, it is appropriate to evaluate the total energy that can be extracted from such barrages. In this study two different methods are proposed to estimate the total annual energy output from a barrage, including a theoretical estimation based on the principle associated with tidal hydrodynamics, and a numerical estimation based on the solutions obtained from a 2D hydrodynamic model. The proposed Severn Barrage in the UK was taken as a case study, and these two methods were applied to estimate the potential annual energy output from the barrage. The predicted results obtained using the two methods indicate that the magnitude of the annual energy output would range from 13 to 16 TWh, which is similar to the value of 15.6 TWh reported by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, in the UK. Further investigations show that the total annual energy output would increase by about 15% if a higher discharge coefficient were to be adopted for the sluice gates, or if the turbine performance were to be improved. However, the estimated annual energy output could exceed the value of 16 TWh if future technological advances in both sluice gate construction and turbine performance are included.

Interest in the marine renewable energy devices, and particularly tidal stream turbines, has increased significantly over the past decade and several devices such as vertical and horizontal axis turbines and reciprocating hydrofoils are now being designed around the world to harness tidal stream energy. While tidal stream turbines are being developed at a high rate and getting closer to commercialisation, it is important to acquire the right tools to assist planners and environmentalists, not only in finding a right location for the turbines, but also in identifying their potential impacts on the surrounding marine and coastal environment. In this study, a widely used open source depth integrated 2D hydro-environmental model, namely DIVAST, was modified to simulate the hydro-environmental impacts of the turbines in the coastal environment. The model predictions showed very good agreement with previously published 1D model results. Then, for demonstration purposes, the model was applied to an arbitrary array of tidal stream turbines in the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel which has the third highest tidal range in the world. The model has shown promising potential in investigating the impacts of the array on water levels, tidal currents and sediment and faecal bacteria levels as well as the generated tidal power, which facilitates investigating the relative far-field impacts of the arrays under various climate change scenarios or different formations of the array.