Increasing the Competitiveness of Tidal Systems by Means of the Improvement of Installation and Maintenance Maneuvers in First Generation Tidal Energy Converters—An Economic Argumentation

Eva Segura, Rafael Morales and José A. Somolinos
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Eva Segura: Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales de Albacete, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Rafael Morales: Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales de Albacete, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
José A. Somolinos: Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Navales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 13, 1-27

Abstract: The most important technological advances in tidal systems are currently taking place in first generation tidal energy converters (TECs), which are installed in areas in which the depth does not exceed 40 m. Some of these devices are fixed to the seabed and it is, therefore, necessary to have special high performance ships to transport them from the base port to the tidal farm and to subsequently recover the main units of these devices. These ships are very costly, thus making the installation costs very high and, in some cases, probably unfeasible. According to what has occurred to date, the costs of the installation and maintenance procedures depend, to a great extent, on the reliability and accessibility of the devices. One of the possible solutions as regards increasing system performance and decreasing the costs of the installation and maintenance procedures is the definition of automated maneuvers, which will consequently influence: (i) an increase in the competitiveness of these technologies; (ii) a reduction in the number and duration of installation and maintenance operations; (iii) less human intervention, or (iv) the possibility of using cheaper general purpose ships rather than high cost special vessels for maintenance purposes, among others. In this research, we propose a definition of the procedures required for the manual and automated installation and maintenance maneuvers of gravity-based first generation TECs. This definition will allow us to quantify the costs of both the manual and automated operations in a more accurate manner and enable us to determine the reduction in the cost of the automated installation and maintenance procedures. It will also enable us to demonstrate that the automation of these maneuvers may be an interesting solution by which to improve the competitiveness of tidal systems in the near future.

Keywords: ocean energy; tidal energy converters; offshore renewable energy; life-cycle costs; installation and maintenance maneuvers; economic-financial viability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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