ReCORD
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Reduction of Capital, Operational and R&D Expenditures
The use of hydrokinetic energy from tidal currents offers great potential for climate-friendly base load energy generation. Worldwide potential is estimated at over 800 TWh/year, which is equivalent to the electricity demand of all 220 million EU households. Tidal power can thus be a promising addition to the already established but less predictable renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
However, there are technical and economic challenges that still need to be overcome before this potential can be fully exploited. In particular, the levelized cost of energy from tidal turbinesis not yet competitive. Therefore, the project aims to reduce the cost of electricity generation from tidal turbines.
Within the project, CWD is working on optimizing the powertrain of the tidal turbines. For this purpose, a system model will be developed based on MBSE methods, which serves to select a cost-optimized powertrain design. This optimization is also intended to accelerate and make development processes more efficient in the long term.
Based on the system model, a next-generation powertrain will be developed in collaboration with Schottel Hydro. Compared to its predecessors, the powertrain will be more powerful while maintaining a compact, fully-integrated design. This increases the output of the tidal turbines and thus lowers the levelized costs of energy. To validate the prototype, the test methods and test infrastructure developed in the OsT project are being further developed.
To reduce long-term maintenance costs, a load monitoring system will be developed that enables load measurement on the turbine support arm and thus above the waterline. By improving the determination of loads on the tidal turbine, maintenance intervals can be optimized in the long term, and the design can be improved.
In summary, the project aims to optimize the powertrain of the tidal turbines for energy yield, investment costs, reliability, and maintenance requirements. The resulting reduced cost of generating electricity contributes significantly to improving the competitiveness of the tidal turbine technology compared to the state of the art.
Duration:
01.01.2023 - 31.12.2026
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