A strategic analysis of tidal current energy conversion systems in the European Union

Segura, Eva; Morales, Rafael; Somolinos, J.A.

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.12.045

Cited by 55 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 122 publications

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“…From a project-based approach, Segura et al [9] presented a multidisciplinary analysis named PESTEL (political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal), and an updated state of the art on the MCP sector in the European Union. From the perspective of the RECP, its validity becomes partial, even though adaptable: consensus formation among stakeholders (such as river manager, fishery operator, or user for recreation) is necessary to implement the river and estuary current power overview.…”

Section: Academic Interest On River and Estuarine Domainmentioning

confidence: 99%

River and Estuary Current Power Overview

Flambard

Feld

Benbouzid

et al. 2019

JMSE

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This paper presents a review of the stream current power sector, with a distinction made between the marine (MCP) and the river/estuary current power (RECP). Although scientific literature about MCP is actually well defined, that about RECP seems small, though this domain has some research interest. This paper has thus a special emphasis on this latter, with comparative studies done between these domains. The assessment of the academic and industrial interests for the RECP is first addressed, based on two main scientific resources and a qualitative highlight of its potential. Then, a review of actual constraints restricting its development is introduced, followed by a non-exhaustive presentation of industrial projects. Finally, some development prospects allowing constraints to be mitigated are proposed. Globally, MCP and RECP are treated unconcernedly, with a primary interest on the mechanical converter study and the location energy potential estimation. It has been highlighted that countries with RECP potential are more plentiful, and that undertaken projects can be classified mainly into two categories following the nominal power of the production unit. Furthermore, the river current power growth has been confirmed in recent years, with a majority part of patented hydrokinetic technologies, although commercial deployments are still scarce.

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Section: Academic Interest On River and Estuarine Domainmentioning

confidence: 99%

River and Estuary Current Power Overview

Flambard

Feld

Benbouzid

et al. 2019

JMSE

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“…The development of tidal energy converters (TECs) and marine current energy converters (MCCs) are still at an early stage, but the opportunities of utilizing tides or marine currents have gained interest. For example, one recent review paper discusses the economic aspects of TECs [11] and another presents the challenges with increased tidal energy using a PESTEL (political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal) analysis [12]. Other more general reviews on the marine current or tidal energy converters are given in e.g., [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Current Energy Converters to Power a Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant

Leijon¹,

Forslund²,

Thomas³

et al. 2018

Energies

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Some countries are facing issues on freshwater and electricity production, which can be addressed with the use of renewable energy powered desalination systems. In the following study, a reverse osmosis desalination plant powered by marine current energy converters is suggested. The marine current energy converters are designed at Uppsala University in Sweden, specifically for utilizing low water speeds (1-2 m/s). Estimations on freshwater production for such a system, in South Africa, facing the Indian Ocean was presented and discussed. It is concluded that the desalination plant cannot by itself supply freshwater for a population all the time, due to periods of too low water speeds (<1 m/s), but for 75% of the time. By using ten marine current energy converters, each with a nominal power rating of 7.5 kW, combined with a reverse osmosis desalination plant and water storage capacity of 2800 m 3 , it is possible to cover the basic freshwater demand of 5000 people. More studies on the hydrokinetic resource of the Western Indian Ocean, system cost, technology development, environmental and social aspects are necessary for more accurate results.

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“…It is undoubtedly technically feasible to employ these devices to harness energy from tidal currents, although very few tidal stream projects are currently operating at a commercial stage [15]. This is principally owing to the fact that it typically costs more to generate energy from tidal currents than it does when using other renewable technologies [16]. It is consequently vital to understand the parameters that may affect the cost structure in order to provide a framework containing areas in which these costs can be reduced [17].A detailed analysis of the life cycle costs (LCC) for first generation tidal energy farms (TEFs) shows that the installation and maintenance procedures are of the utmost importance and must be optimized in order to increase their current potential, help their acceleration and sustainability and help attract investment in these technologies [18,19].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These tasks necessitate the use of special high-performance ships that are equipped with dynamic positioning, large cranes, etc., and this implies high installation and maintenance costs [22,23]. The installation and maintenance costs are greatly dependent upon the accessibility and reliability of the device [16]. It would, however, be possible to increase system performance and decrease the aforementioned costs by automating the performance of the immersion and emersion maneuvers [24,25].…”

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Increasing the Competitiveness of Tidal Systems by Means of the Improvement of Installation and Maintenance Maneuvers in First Generation Tidal Energy Converters—An Economic Argumentation

2019

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The most important technological advances in tidal systems are currently taking place in first generation tidal energy converters (TECs), which are installed in areas in which the depth does not exceed 40 m. Some of these devices are fixed to the seabed and it is, therefore, necessary to have special high performance ships to transport them from the base port to the tidal farm and to subsequently recover the main units of these devices. These ships are very costly, thus making the installation costs very high and, in some cases, probably unfeasible. According to what has occurred to date, the costs of the installation and maintenance procedures depend, to a great extent, on the reliability and accessibility of the devices. One of the possible solutions as regards increasing system performance and decreasing the costs of the installation and maintenance procedures is the definition of automated maneuvers, which will consequently influence: (i) an increase in the competitiveness of these technologies; (ii) a reduction in the number and duration of installation and maintenance operations; (iii) less human intervention, or (iv) the possibility of using cheaper general purpose ships rather than high cost special vessels for maintenance purposes, among others. In this research, we propose a definition of the procedures required for the manual and automated installation and maintenance maneuvers of gravity-based first generation TECs. This definition will allow us to quantify the costs of both the manual and automated operations in a more accurate manner and enable us to determine the reduction in the cost of the automated installation and maintenance procedures. It will also enable us to demonstrate that the automation of these maneuvers may be an interesting solution by which to improve the competitiveness of tidal systems in the near future.

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A strategic analysis of tidal current energy conversion systems in the European Union

Cited by 55 publications

References 122 publications

River and Estuary Current Power Overview

River and Estuary Current Power Overview

Marine Current Energy Converters to Power a Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant

Increasing the Competitiveness of Tidal Systems by Means of the Improvement of Installation and Maintenance Maneuvers in First Generation Tidal Energy Converters—An Economic Argumentation

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