A review of the tidal current energy resource in Norway

Abstract

As interest in renewable energy sources is steadily on the rise, tidal current energy is receiving more and more attention from politicans, industrialists, and academics. In this article, the conditions for and potential of tidal currents as an energy resource in Norway are reviewed. There having been a relatively small amount of academic work published in this particular field, closely related topics such as the energy situation in Norway in general, the oceanography of the Norwegian coastline, and numerical models of tidal currents in Norwegian waters are also examined. Two published tidal energy resource assessments are reviewed and compared to a desktop study made specifically for this review based on available data in pilot books. The argument is made that tidal current energy ought to be an important option for Norway in terms of renewable energy.

Ireland’s tidal energy resource; An assessment of a site in the Bulls Mouth and the Shannon Estuary using measured data

“…Table 3 shows the mid-depth peak spring-tide speed, the mid-depth mean speed and the power density over a lunar month for both sites. The instantaneous power density, , of a tidal current flow is calculated using (4) where is the density of seawater and is the tidal current speed. Power density is often used as an indicator of tidal-current-energy hotspots [4].…”

“…The instantaneous power density, , of a tidal current flow is calculated using (4) where is the density of seawater and is the tidal current speed. Power density is often used as an indicator of tidal-current-energy hotspots [4]. The power density for each site was calculated by taking the mean of the distribution of instantaneous power densities.…”

“…Tidal energy has the advantage of predictability over large time scales and, as a result, is an excellent choice as a base-load energy supply [3][4][5].…”

Tidal current energy resource assessment in Ireland: Current status and future update

“…Ireland and the UK are at the forefront in the development of tidal current turbines and their deployment technology, with several projects in development [32]. There is limited information published on the development of tidal current turbines due to fact they are been developed primarily by private companies [33]. However the current status of these devices was reviewed in a recent paper [34].…”

Marine current energy devices: Current status and possible future applications in Ireland

“…Grid connecting MCEDs into the electricity system should be much less challenging than other forms of renewable energy, such as wind, where the resource is unpredictable and intermittent [8].…”