Run by School of Ocean Sciences

20.000 Credits or 10.000 ECTS Credits

Semester 2

Organiser: Prof Simon Neill

This module introduces students to the international and national marine renewable energy landscape, covering leading and alternative device designs and the current status of the industry, particularly through interaction with invited speakers from industry. Students will understand key concepts in energy, including kinetic and potential energy, power, intermittency, and how these concepts relate to ocean energy. Students will learn about quantifying wave and tidal energy resources over a variety of timescales from sub-second (turbulent) to decadal, and wave-tide interactions. The module also covers a variety of environmental impacts of arrays of marine renewable energy devices, focussing on feedbacks between energy extraction and the hydrodynamic resource, and associated physical system affected by energy extraction such as beaches and offshore sand banks.

Context of marine energy (global/UK context, intermittency, energy roadmaps)

Key energy concepts (kinetic energy, potential energy, wave energy, tidal energy, power)

Wave energy conversion (wave resource, wave devices, practical resource)

Marine current conversion (tidal resource, tidal devices, practical resource)

Tidal phasing

Tidal range

Multiple resource exploitation

Multiple resource interactions

Arrays of devices

Practical constraints and cabling

Economic assessment

Environmental impacts (non-physical, physical)

Case studies (NW European shelf seas, Orkney & Pentland Firth, Wales)

Future of the industry

threshold

A partial understanding of marine renewable energy concepts and principles; demonstrate some ability to handle and draw conclusions from large spatial and time-series datasets.

good

A good knowledge of marine renewable energy concepts and principles; demonstrate good ability to handle and draw conclusions from large spatial and time-series datasets. Demonstrate some ability to solve energy problems independently.

excellent

Excellent knowledge of marine renewable energy concepts and principles; demonstrate excellent ability to handle, critically analyse, and to draw conclusions from large spatial and time-series datasets. Ability to critically analyse and solve energy problems independently

1. An ability to characterise the wave and tidal energy resources over a variety of timescales.

2. Knowledge of time series and spatial analysis of large (multi-variable) datasets.

3. Knowledge of how oceanographic models can be used in resource assessment and environmental impact studies.

   For all these, it is expected that the student should also be able to critically analyse the ideas involved.

4. On successful completion of this module, the student should be able to demonstrate:

   A critical understanding of the marine renewable energy industry, including current status and challenges facing the industry.

5. An extensive knowledge of the principals of energy and how kinetic and potential energy can be converted into electricity using wave and tidal energy devices.

6. An understanding of the environmental impacts of marine renewable energy extraction, including feedbacks between energy extraction and the resource, and impacts on sedimentary systems.

Type	Name	Description	Weight
REPORT	SWAN wave impact		25.00
REPORT	Wave energy resource		25.00
EXAM	Exam		50.00

		Hours
Private study	Learning for completion of assessments and exams.	170
Laboratory	Full day laboratory exercise	7
Lecture	12 one-hour lectures spread over 3 weeks in Semester 2, including speakers from industry.	12
Practical classes and workshops	Computer practicals: two 3 ½ hour practicals on wave and tidal resource, and one 4 hour practical on modelling wave energy impacts.	11

Talis Reading list

http://readinglists.bangor.ac.uk/modules/osx-4023.html

Reading list

Neill, S.P. and Hashemi, M.R. 2018. Fundamentals of Ocean Renewable Energy: Generating Electricity from the Sea. Academic Press, 336p.

Compulsory in courses:

• F7AX: MSc Marine Renewable Energy year 1 (MSC/MRE)
• F7AH: MSc Physical Oceanography year 1 (MSC/PO)