Annual Energy Production Maximization for Tidal Power Plants with Evolutionary Algorithms

Abstract

In order to be able to predict the maximum Annual Energy Production (AEP) for tidal power plants, an AEP optimization tool based on Evolutionary Algorithms was developed by ANDRITZ HYDRO. This tool can simulate all operating modes of the units (bi-directional turbine, pump and sluicing mode) and provide the optimal plant operation that maximizes the AEP to the control system. For the Swansea Bay Tidal Power Plant, the AEP optimization evaluated all different hydraulic and operating concepts and defined the optimal concept that led to a significant AEP increase. A comparison between the optimal plant operation provided by the AEP optimization and the full load operating strategy is presented in the paper, highlighting the advantage of the method in providing the maximum AEP