The Study of Electrical Power Generation from Tidal Energy in South Africa

It is well known that a vast amount of energy is stored in the ocean. Tidal energy is a form of ocean energy which is yet to be exploited in South Africa and it can be considered as an alternative energy resource or renewable energy sources. The implementation of tidal technology can address the electricity crisis in the country and also minimizes the huge reliance on coal for power generation. The study covers the tidal phenomenon, the concept of tidal energy, energy conversion process and electrical energy generation. An overview of the two dominant tidal energy conversion systems; tidal barrage and tidal stream was done. The aim of this paper is to carry out a resource assessment, identify optimum characteristics for establishing a tidal plant and proposed the energy conversion system that is suitable for South Africa. Thus, based on the tidal resource available in the country, a suitable site is identified. The tidal resource, extractable power and the impact of the turbine configuration are evaluated using MATLAB.