Ruqayyah Snyder
Australia has been identified as a promising location for tidal energy, with some of the largest tides in the world. The country's long and deep-water coastline, combined with strong Southern Ocean winds, make it an ideal location for wave energy production. The Australian Tidal Energy (AUSTEn) team has been working to assess the technical and economic feasibility of tidal energy sites in Australia, with a focus on Tasmania and the Northern Territory. The Kimberley region of Western Australia is also a potential site for tidal energy deployment due to its shallow water and strong currents. While there are challenges and considerations, such as maintenance costs and ecological impact, the development of tidal energy in Australia could contribute significantly to the country's future energy mix.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Region | Kimberley, Western Australia |
| Sites | Broome, Western Australia; Clarence Strait, Northern Territory; Banks Strait, Tasmania |
| Tidal range | Sufficient to convert tidal energy into electricity |
| Tidal energy in Australia's energy mix | Case studies show potential |
| Technology readiness | Suitable for deployment in large-scale arrays |
| Interest | Growing in Australia for large-scale deployments |
| Knowledge | Insufficient for risk assessment |
| Pilot and commercial-scale deployments | Very limited |
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What You'll Learn
Kimberley region in Western Australia
The Kimberley region in Western Australia contains nearly all of Australia's potentially exploitable tidal energy. The tidal range is generally between 9 and 12 meters, and the area is characterized by many inlets and basins with narrow entrances that are suitable for damming. This unique geography, combined with strong currents, makes the Kimberley region ideal for tidal power generation.
While the Kimberley region is remote and sparsely populated, it presents an opportunity for renewable energy export to Southeast Asia. The Western Australian government has recognized the potential of tidal power in this region, particularly as a solution to the state's shortage of black coal deposits and crude oil reserves. The Derby Tidal Energy Project, led by Tidal Energy Australia, aims to harness the Kimberley region's powerful tides to provide renewable energy to residents and new industries.
The project has been in the works for decades and has received state approval, with federal approval pending the completion of an environmental assessment. The environmental assessment focuses on the potential impact on endangered species in the area, such as the river shark and sawfish. The Derby Tidal Energy Project is expected to cost $375 million to construct, with proponents arguing that it will offer cheap power over the long term due to minuscule operating costs.
The Kimberley region's potential for tidal energy has been recognized for decades, with studies as early as 1976 discussing the area's promising characteristics for tidal power generation. However, the lack of a nearby energy market has been a critical factor in the slow development of tidal power projects in the region. Despite this challenge, the Kimberley region remains a highly promising area for tidal energy in Australia, and the Derby Tidal Energy Project represents a significant step forward in harnessing this renewable energy source.
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Tasmania
The Banks Strait in Northeast Tasmania has been identified as a promising site for tidal energy generation. The strait has strong currents and shallow water, making it suitable for tidal turbines. It is also close to an electricity grid connection, which is an important factor in selecting a suitable site for tidal energy generation. The three-year Australian Tidal Energy (AUSTEn) study, funded by ARENA, found that the Banks Strait tidal energy resource was considerable, with peak tidal flows of more than 2.5m/s.
In addition to tidal energy, Tasmania has also been successful in harnessing wave energy. The Australian developer Wave Swell Energy (WSE) has deployed a 200kW wave energy project on King Island, 80km off the north-western coast of Tasmania. The project has been successful in generating high-quality electricity that has been accepted by Hydro Tasmania for the grid on King Island. The UniWave 200 technology used in the project is based on the concept of an oscillating water column (OWC), which converts the energy of ocean waves into electricity.
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Northern Territory
Australia has some of the largest tides in the world, and as an island continent, it has the potential to convert tidal energy into electricity. The tidal range resource of Australia is 2004 TWh/yr, which is about 22% of the global resource and can substantially contribute to Australia's electricity generation.
The most energetic sites for tidal energy in Australia are distributed across the northern shelf of Australia, particularly the North-West shelf. One such site is the Clarence Strait in the Northern Territory. The AUSTEn (Australian Tidal Energy) team has made publicly available tidal energy datasets from the Clarence Strait to help assess Australia's tidal energy resource and its potential contribution to the future energy mix.
The AUSTEn project, initiated in 2017 and completed in September 2020, was co-funded by the Australian Renewable Energy National Agency (ARENA). The project aimed to assess the technical and economic feasibility of tidal energy sites in Australia and involved field-based and high-resolution numerical site assessments, as well as in-situ environmental measurements and observations.
The high-resolution numerical models of the Clarence Strait site have been successfully developed, calibrated, and validated, with assessments of the tidal energy resource to international standards completed. These case studies located tidal velocities of up to 2.8 m/s, suggesting that the site is unlikely to be developed using the current generation of Tidal Energy Converters (TECs).
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Perth wave energy project
Australia is home to some of the largest tides in the world, and as an island continent, it has been estimated that Australia hosts up to 30% of the world's tidal energy resources. However, knowledge of Australia's tidal resources and their technical implementation is still limited.
The Perth Wave Energy Project is a significant initiative in this regard, being the world's first commercial-scale wave energy array connected to the grid. It was developed by Carnegie Wave Energy and officially switched on in February 2015. The project is located offshore of Fremantle, Western Australia, at a 25-metre water depth in the ocean between Garden Island and Five Fathom Bank.
The Perth Wave Energy Project uses Carnegie's proprietary wave energy technology called CETO. This technology consists of a fully submerged buoy (a Buoyant Actuator) that is tethered to a pump on the seabed. The Buoyant Actuator moves with the energy of the ocean's waves, causing the pump to extend and contract, propelling high-pressure fluid ashore via a subsea pipeline. This high-pressure fluid is then used to power a hydroelectric turbine to generate clean, renewable electricity. The Perth project consists of three 240 kW CETO 5 wave energy converters that were installed and grid-connected in late 2014/early 2015.
The Perth Wave Energy Project has been successful, recording more than 14,000 cumulative hours of operation. It has a peak-rated capacity of 5MW and can produce enough electricity to power approximately 3,500 households. The project has also won awards, including the Sustainable Energy Industry Excellence and Innovation Developer Award from the WA Sustainable Energy Association in March 2010.
The Perth Wave Energy Project is now being partly decommissioned to make way for a larger capacity CETO 6 pre-commercial array that will be deployed further offshore and connected back to Garden Island. This new array will offer up to 1MW output per unit and will incorporate power generation offshore, inside the buoy, rather than onshore as with the current CETO 5 generation.
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Ocean Power Technologies (Australasia)
Australia has some of the largest tides in the world, and the Kimberley region of Western Australia is particularly well-suited for tidal energy projects. However, there is a lack of knowledge about Australia's tidal resources, which has hindered the development of commercial-scale deployments of tidal energy devices in Australian waters.
Ocean Power Technologies Australasia Pty Ltd (OPTA) is an Australian-owned subsidiary of Ocean Power Technologies Inc. (OPT), a US publicly-owned renewable energy company. OPTA has been involved in several wave power projects in Australia, including:
- A 19-megawatt wave power station near Portland, Victoria, with funding support from the Federal Government of Australia.
- A wave power generation buoy deployed in Scotland in collaboration with Global Maritime Scotland Ltd and Port Services (Invergordon) Ltd.
- Ocean testing of a wave power generation system at the US Marine Corps Base Hawaii from 2009 to 2011.
The company's primary product is the PowerBuoy wave generation system, which captures and converts wave energy into electricity. OPT's technology has been used in several large PowerBuoy projects, including a collaboration with Lockheed Martin in Australia from 2012 to 2014. While this particular project was not commercially viable, OPT has since found success in providing power and communications to remote sites, such as offshore oil fields.
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Frequently asked questions
Tidal energy in Australia is found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, as well as in Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
There are several challenges associated with tidal energy in Australia, including high maintenance costs due to saltwater corrosion, ecological concerns, and the need for government approval.
Tidal energy has the potential to contribute to Australia's future energy mix, as the country has some of the largest tides in the world and is home to a long and largely deep-water coastline.
Yes, the Australian Tidal Energy (AUSTEn) team has been working on assessing the technical and economic feasibility of tidal energy sites in Australia. Additionally, the Perth Wave Energy Project and the Oceanlinx wave energy system trial are also worth mentioning.
