Credit: Ayushi Kachhara NIWA 2018
Webinar presentation by Ross Vennell, February 2021 (30 mins + Q&A)
In this recording, Ross Vennell (Cawthron) presents the results of the Energy from tidal currents project. This project investigated the viability of generation electricity from the strong tidal currents within Cook Strait.
One major barrier to industry investment in tidal current energy is lack of knowledge about the scale of investment required. This project developed novel tools and methods to make it possible to rapidly estimate the power output from tidal energy.
The findings suggest that a farm of 95 turbines spaced 100m apart in 2 rows could be viable in Cook Strait now if technology costs reduce, or energy prices increase, by 25%. Researchers also developed a faster, cheaper way to initially assess multiple sites in a region using existing hydrodynamic models.
The presentation slides and links to resources are available below the video.
