Energy storage in association with tidal current generation systems

This article explores the possibility of coupling a tidal current energy converter (TCEC) with an energy storage system. The purpose of this study is two-fold: first, to show that storage can decrease the loss of output from a TCEC, when there are transmission constraints present. Second, to specify the properties of the storage system (efficiency, capacity, input/output power limit, and self-discharge rate) required in order to produce either demand-matching or base-load output from a TCEC. Models of such systems are constructed. These are run over several spring/neap cycles, to determine the time dependence of the whole system. It is shown that a 1.2 MW tidal current energy converter associated with a 1-MWh storage system of modest efficiency can offer significant advantages over the generator working alone.