Marine current energy conversion: the dawn of a new era in electricity production

2013 ◽  
Vol 371 (1985) ◽  
pp. 20120500 ◽  
Author(s):  
AbuBakr S. Bahaj
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Resource Assessment ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Planetary Motion ◽  
The Status ◽  
Marine Current ◽  
Marine Currents ◽  
Wind Energy Development ◽  
Current Energy ◽  
Flow Velocities

Marine currents can carry large amounts of energy, largely driven by the tides, which are a consequence of the gravitational effects of the planetary motion of the Earth, the Moon and the Sun. Augmented flow velocities can be found where the underwater topography (bathymetry) in straits between islands and the mainland or in shallows around headlands plays a major role in enhancing the flow velocities, resulting in appreciable kinetic energy. At some of these sites where practical flows are more than 1 m s −1 , marine current energy conversion is considered to be economically viable. This study describes the salient issues related to the exploitation of marine currents for electricity production, resource assessment, the conversion technologies and the status of leading projects in the field. This study also summarizes important issues related to site development and some of the approaches currently being undertaken to inform device and array development. This study concludes that, given the highlighted commitments to establish favourable regulatory and incentive regimes as well as the aspiration for energy independence and combating climate change, the progress to multi-megawatt arrays will be much faster than that achieved for wind energy development.

scholarly journals Status of Marine Current Energy Conversion in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-23
Author(s):  
Hongwei Liu ◽  
AbuBakr S. Bahaj
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Renewable Energy Systems ◽  
Technology Deployment ◽  
Prototype Development ◽  
Marine Energy ◽  
The Status ◽  
Marine Current ◽  
Current Energy

Marine current energy conversion (MCEC) technologies are promising renewable energy systems with some full scale and semi-commercial turbines constructed and deployed in several countries around the world. In this work, we present the status of marine current energy and systems in China and policies geared to support these. Over the past ten years the Chinese government has provided a policy framework and financial supports for the development of MCEC technologies of various design philosophies which has resulted in significant technology deployment at sea. A review of these technologies – which have turbine capacities in the range 20 kW to 650 kW, mostly tested at sea – is presented in the paper. In addition, the paper also discusses Chinese plans for marine energy test sites at sea to support prototype development and testing and concludes with a view of future prospects for the marine energy technology deployment in China.

scholarly journals Marine current energy assessment and the hydrodynamic design of the hydrokinetic turbine for the Moroccan Mediterranean Coast

2021 ◽  
pp. 014459872098662
Author(s):  
Salma Hazim ◽  
Abdelouahab Salih ◽  
Mourad Taha Janan ◽  
Ahmed El Ouatouati ◽  
Abdellatif Ghennioui
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Blade Element Theory ◽  
Hydrokinetic Turbine ◽  
Marine Current ◽  
Current Resource ◽  
Suitable Area ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Current Energy

Generating electricity through renewable energies is growing increasingly to reduce the huge demand on electricity and the impact of fossil energies on the environment, the most common sources forms used are: the wind, the sun, the photovoltaic and the thermal, without forgetting hydropower by the bays of dams. Fortunately, 70% of our planet is covered by the seas and oceans, this area constitutes a huge potential for electricity production to be exploited. The scientific advances of recent years allow a better exploitation of these resources especially the marine current due to its reliability and predictability. The marine current energy is extracted using a hydrokinetic turbine (HKT) which transform the kinetic energy of water into an electrical energy. The exploitation of this resource needs in the first step the assessment of marine currents in the study area for implementing the HKT, and the second step is designing an adequate technology. The main goal of this study is the assessment of the marine current resource on the Moroccan Mediterranean coast to evaluate the suitable area to implement the HKT, and to determine the marine current speed intensities at different depths. As well as, to estimate an average potential existing in the site. Moreover, we will conduct a study based on the results of the assessment that was made to design a horizontal axis marine current turbine (HAMCT). Two hydrofoil profile were considered to design a HAMCT using the Blade Element Theory (BEM) and calculating their performances adapted to the site conditions Naca4415 and s8052. In addition, a comparison was made between this two HAMCT hydrofoil profile for deciding the best one for implementing in the studied area.

scholarly journals A Permanent Magnet Generator for Energy Conversion from Marine Currents: No Load and Load Experiments

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Thomas ◽  
Mårten Grabbe ◽  
Katarina Yuen ◽  
Mats Leijon
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Permanent Magnet ◽  
Load Condition ◽  
Future Design ◽  
Ω Phase ◽  
Marine Current ◽  
Nominal Load ◽  
Harmonic Analyses ◽  
Current Energy ◽  
Good Agreement

This paper presents experiments and measurements on a low speed permanent magnet cable wound generator for marine current energy conversion. Measurements were made for no load and nominal load (4.44 Ω/phase) conditions at nominal speed (10 rpm). For either load condition, the magnetic fields in the air gap were also measured. The measurements on the generator were compared with the corresponding finite element method simulations used to design the machine. It is shown in the paper that measurements and corresponding case simulations show good agreement. At nominal speed, the measured and simulated load voltages (nominal load) differ less than 1% for the rms values and less than 5% for peak values. At no load, measured and simulated voltages had larger differences, that is, <9% for rms values and <5% for peak values. Harmonic analyses of measured and simulated phase voltages and currents show only the presence of third harmonics. The percentage of harmonics in the measured data was comparable with the corresponding predictions of the simulations. The discussions and results presented in the paper could be beneficial for future design of efficient and reliable marine current energy converter systems.

Design of a Gorlov Turbine for Marine Current Energy Extraction

2015 ◽  
Vol 772 ◽  
pp. 556-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niranjwan Chettiar ◽  
Sumesh Narayan ◽  
Jai Nendran Goundar ◽  
Ashneel Deo
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Average Power ◽  
Energy Resource ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Maintenance Cost ◽  
Energy Extraction ◽  
Renewable Energy Resource ◽  
Marine Current ◽  
Current Energy

As fossil fuels near depletion and their detrimental side effects become prominent on ecosystems, the world searches renewable sources of energy. Marine current energy is an emerging and promising renewable energy resource. Marine current energy can be alternative energy source for electricity production. Many marine current converters are designed to tap marine current energy; however, Gorlov turbine proves to have minimum manufacturing and maintenance cost, hence giving desired power output. A 0.3m diameter and 0.6m long 3 bladed Gorlov turbine was designed, fabricated and test to analyse its performance. The turbine produces average power 15 W and proves to be quite efficient for marine current energy extraction.

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