TeraWatt: Large scale Interactive coupled 3D modelling for wave and tidal energy resource and environmental impact

Project Dates: 
June, 2012 to November, 2015
Project Summary: 

The TeraWatt project was a collaborative project between a consortium of Scottish Universities and Marine Scotland Science (MSS), under the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) pooling initiative. The overarching aim was to develop a suite of sophisticated computer models designed specifically to help understand the environmental consequences of wave end tidal energy extraction in Scotland. The research programme was designed to address some specific needs of MSS, namely in relation to quantifying the physical and environmental impact wave and tidal energy development.  Importantly, the models developed included tidal and wave energy extraction.  Mainly focussing on the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters (Figure 1), the research was designed to answer fundamental questions about the wave and tidal energy resource and how it might change in response to wave and tidal energy extraction. The aim was also to provide insights into the physical and ecological consequences of wave and tidal energy extraction. The project was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) SUPERGEN (SUstainable PowER GENeration) “Marine Hub”, and ran from June 2012 until the end of November 2015.

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Map showing the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Round One Development Sites, their nominal capacity, and the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) test sites. Modified from The Crown Estate (2013).