Development of the Tamar River Tidal Test Facility

Performing full scale field testing is a key stage in developing a tidal turbine. This generally occurs during Technical Readiness Levels (TRL) 6-9 and is associated with difficulty in attracting funding and large one off capital costs without an associated income stream. It therefore poses a large obstacle in the development of commercially-ready devices. The advancement of purpose built test facilities such as the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) can substantially reduce risks and costs to technology developers by providing berths with foundations and moorings, site characterisation and vessels for deployment support. This paper presents the development of a tidal test facility in the Tamar River estuary in Tasmania, Australia. The process for site identification, site characterisation including bathymetry and mooring design are detailed and ADCP velocity profiles for the low flow site are presented. Key findings from the work performed included requiring a strong understanding of environmental parameters in restricted water such as estuaries and the challenges in designing cost effective tidal mooring systems due to the lack of sediment present at highly energetic sites. Further development at the high flow sites includes the use of a purpose built test barge and grid connection.