Assessing the Potential Tidal Energy Resources in Coastal Areas of Fujian Province

In the context of increasingly serious depletion and security risks of fossil energy, environmental pollution, and challenges of climate change, tidal range energy, and tidal current energy have attracted considerable attention due to their high predictability, insensitivity to flood and drought periods, and minimal environmental impact. In this study, we aim to assess the status of tidal range energy and tidal current energy in the coastal areas of Fujian Province using a high-resolution tidal dynamic model developed from the state-of-the-art model, Delft3D FM. Our results indicate that tidal range energy resources are concentrated in the coastal port areas north of central Fujian, with the highest tidal range energy potential of 1.18×10⁵ KWh/m² in Xinghua Bay. Tidal range energy resources are primarily concentrated in the waters of Sansha Bay, Pingtan Island, and Quanzhou Bay. Among them, the potential annual average power in Sansha Bay can reach 2.60×10⁵ kWh/m², with an estimated exploitable capacity of 67.24MW after the installation of tidal current power stations at the inlet channels. These research findings provide data support for site selection in the development of tidal range energy resources in the offshore waters of Fujian.