Tidal, Wave and Future Energy
Assessment 1 Sections 1-8
Note: The data, proposed sites and devices are given solely for the purpose of this assessment and do not specifically reflect any actual situation.
The government wants to commission the development of a site for extracting marine energy, either from waves or tidal currents, with an annual energy production target of 2000 MWh for the site. Eight sites in Scottish waters have been proposed so far:
Site 1: Southend, off the southern tip of the Kintyre Peninsula, South-West of Scotland
Site 2: Carloway, off the western coast of the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
Site 3: Rona, West of Rona Island
Site 4: Brough Head, near the North-East coast of Orkneys Mainland Island
Site 5: Inner Sound, in the Pentland Firth between Island of Stroma and North of Scotland
Site 6: Esha Ness, West of Shetlands Mainland Island
Site 7: Sumburgh, off the southern tip of Shetland Mainland Island
Site 8: Peterhead, on the Eastern coast of Scotland
The mean tidal and waves characteristics of each site are shown in Table 2 and Table 3 respectively. Table 2 gives the tidal current velocities each hour around high water (HW) during a semi-diurnal tidal cycle, which are average between Spring and Neap tides. Table 3 gives the significant wave height (Hm0) and the energy period (Tm-10) averaged over the entire year 2001. This data can be used to estimate the wave energy in first approximation. More detailed variations of Hm0 and Tm-10 at each site are shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 respectively. The density of seawater is
UK cables and pipelines grid connections
Scotland maritime traffic
Scottish waters seabed sediments
Scottish marine protection areas
Scotland fish and shellfish farm locations (and National Heritage designated areas in link)
Questions:
You are tasked to select the most suitable option to develop a marine energy site amongst the proposed sites and devices, in order to meet the annual energy production target of 2000 MWh.
To this aim, you will have to consider: the marine energy resources, the proposed technologies and arrays , the potential for grid connection and any other environmental criteria. As a guidance, you should:
Justify your choice with relevant energy calculations and a detailed argumentation.
Identify and discuss any other potential issues and uncertainties that should be taken into account, as well as any additional information you would require for making your decision.
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