Maximizing the energy yield of tidal stream plants

For the exploitation of non-traditional energy resources, innovative project assessment concepts and elaborate computer applications are required. As the feasibility of commercial marine power projects will be assessed by their financial viability and bankability, reliable quantification of the achievable energy yield is crucial. Economically attractive tidal stream park arrangements can be identified during the study/design phase using 3D tidal regime simulation software and analytical optimization routines. In this paper, the methodology for a comprehensive energy yield optimization is described, based on a recently conducted study for a several-hundred megawatt scheme in Korea.