Learning from the first

deployments of tidal
stream turbines
Environmental monitoring of turbines in the Oosterschelde

Merel Verbeek, Robert Jan Labeur, Wim Uijttewaal

September 20, 2018 – NCR/NCK Low Land Hydropower theme day

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 Learning about production and impact of
tidal turbines..
Production Impact

General Applied

Tidal turbines of Tocardo

in the Oosterschelde

to harvest renewable energy from the sea

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Why harvesting tidal energy?
• Predictable, renewable
• High energy density
• Potential source: 0.5 TW-year/y
– = 3% of total primary energy supply
in 2013
– Practical source: more than 150 TWh
per year (50 mln “Dutch” households)

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Three ways to harvest
energy form the tide
• Constrained flow
– La Rance (FR)

• Partially constrained flow

– (No prototype build)

• Unconstrained flow
– The Orkneys Islands (UK)
– Oosterschelde (NL)

Top view
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Complication: New technology with
unknown environmental impact
Environmental impact includes:
• Changes in ecology
• Changes in morphology
• Changes in hydrodynamics

• Information needed for certification

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Monitoring of first-build turbine array
• First turbines in a barrier (low land application)
– The installed capacity is 1.2 MW
– It delivers 9.6 MWh a day, assuming a capacity factor of
0.3 (=8 full load hours/d).
– =1100 average Dutch households (of 3000 kWh/y)

5 turbines of Tocardo Tidal Power

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Team of scientists in ‘Oosterschelde Tidal
Power’ investigates environmental concerns
• We investigated ecological, morphological and
hydrodynamic changes over the past year
• Funded by European Regional Development Fund
2014-2020 (OP Zuid) and NWO

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Sub-projects are spatially related

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What are the aims of the project?

• What extra drag do the turbines pose to the

barrier?
• Are morphological effects significant?
• How is ecology affected?

• Could we upscale tidal energy in the

Oosterschelde?
• How does this translate to other sites?

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 Approach: Predicting drag of
turbines in a barrier

Turbines in the Storm Surge barrier Flume test with scaled turbine

To assess changes in:

- The stability of the bed protection of the barrier
- Basin morphology
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How to estimate turbine drag?
Summing of parallel resistances (?)
• Resistances in electrical engineering can be
summed linearly

• Does this also apply to the drag of

tidal turbines in a barrier?

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Measuring turbine drag and flow velocity
• Turbines are equipped with high-frequency
load- and velocimeters
– Turbines operated with normal and limited drag
• The theory on drag can be extended / verifiedLoad
Veloci- meters
meters F(x,y,z)
u(x,y,z)

Side view
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 Flow past a
Adding turbine barrier
and barrier drag
• Combined
resistance is +
less than Flow past a
summing of the turbine

individual
resistances
=
Flow past a
barrier with
turbine

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Drag is influenced by neighbouring
turbines
• Field observations show that the turbines interact
with each other

Velocity data from

field measurements

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Gates of a barrier “communicate”

• Barrier has 62 gates, 1 with turbines

• Drag increases over 1 gate  flow bypasses to others

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New model should integrate drag of
a barrier with those of arrayed turbines
• Summing the • Interaction • Communication
drag of a between of gates in the
barrier with a neighbouring Storm Surge
turbine turbines Barrier

• Non-linear addition of resistances 16

What does this imply for morphological
predictions?
• Current morphodynamic
predictions have used a
conservative approach
• “Morphological effects of current installation are
minor compared to ongoing dynamics of the
basin”

• Encouraging for updated impact estimation,

including non-linear drag estimation

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 Approach: Predicting drag of
turbines in a barrier

Turbines in the Storm Surge barrier Flume test with scaled turbine

To assess changes in:

- The stability of the bed protection of the barrier
- Basin morphology
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What is the horizon?

• What extra drag do the turbines pose to the

barrier?
• Are morphological effects significant?
• How is ecology affected?

• Could we upscale tidal energy in the

Oosterschelde?
• How does this translate to other sites?
zmf.nl/stakeholderbijeenkomst-
getijdenenergiecentrale-oosterscheldekering-
2-oktober-2018
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Thank you for your
attention
m.c.verbeek@tudelft.nl

This project is funded through NWO in the project

The New Delta with number 869.15.008
We are grateful to Tocardo BV for the use of their
measurements.

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