Modelling assessment of the tidal stream resource in the Ria of Ferrol (NW Spain) using a year-long simulation

The availability of tidal stream energy in the Ría of Ferrol (NW Spain) has been assessed using a long term hydrodynamic simulation (351 days). A priori, a strait in the central part of the estuary seems a promising site for tidal energy tapping, but the results show that barotropic currents rarely...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Mestres Ridge, Marc|||0000-0002-2010-8241, Cerralbo Peñarroya, Pablo|||0000-0001-7551-0441, Grifoll Colls, Manel|||0000-0003-4260-6732, Sierra Pedrico, Juan Pablo|||0000-0003-0814-1134, Espino Infantes, Manuel|||0000-0002-9026-3976
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/122829
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/122829
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.07.105
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Tidal power
Ría of Ferrol
Tidal current energy
Tidal resources
Numerical modelling
ROMS
Energia maremotriu -- Models matemàtics
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Enginyeria hidràulica, marítima i sanitària::Ports i costes
Descripción
Sumario:The availability of tidal stream energy in the Ría of Ferrol (NW Spain) has been assessed using a long term hydrodynamic simulation (351 days). A priori, a strait in the central part of the estuary seems a promising site for tidal energy tapping, but the results show that barotropic currents rarely exceed 0.9 m/s during spring tides, with a maximum peak power density of 0.45 kW/m2 estimated at a spring tide mid-ebb. The maximum annual energy density is estimated at 415 kWh/m2, significantly lower than at other nearby estuaries. A comparison of the annual resource estimates shows that differences of up to 35% can be introduced depending on whether a simulation of one tidal cycle, one lunar month, or a full year is used for the calculations. This proves that usual tidal resource estimations, based on a single tidal cycle, can significantly misestimate the tidal energy potential of a site.