A holistic methodology for the planning of hydrokinetic energy projects in coastal regions: Application to the Shannon Estuary (W Ireland)

Abstract

This thesis develops a comprehensive methodology for the exploitation of the hydrokinetic energy resource in coastal regions —a specific type of marine renewable energy (MRE)—, overcoming the limitations of the currently available procedures, and whose application to a coastal area of interest will provide the required information for an informed decision-making process. The methodology comprises three different procedures, each of them providing a specific index designed to analyse different stages of hydrokinetic energy farm planning, from initial designs to full scale MRE projects, increasing in complexity and accuracy as planning progresses: (i) Tidal Stream Exploitability index adapted to non-depth-limited areas, TSEndl index, for projects at preliminary stages; (ii) Integrated Hydrokinetic Energy index, IHE index, for projects at early stages; and (iii) Cost-Effective Analysis (CEA) in terms of Levelized Costs of Energy based on the IHE index, LCOEIHE, for projects at final stages. These procedures resort to high-resolution hydrodynamic numerical modelling and advanced geospatial analysis techniques and algorithms, being illustrated through their application to a case study in the Shannon Estuary (W Ireland), a non-depth-limited macrotidal estuary subject to significant fluvial discharges and renowned for its potential for hydrokinetic energy exploitation.