Abstract: In 2008, EDF announced its decision to build the first tidal turbine demonstration farm in France generating electricity from the energy of tidal currents. By 2012, several turbines will be installed off Paimpol-Bréhat and connected to the grid. EDF R&D has been developing the Telemac-2D software that facilitates modelling and simulation of river and coastal hydrodynamic phenomena.
At the Paimpol-Bréhat site, Telemac-2D is used to calculate tidal current characteristics and to assess the tidal energy yield potential produced by turbines exploiting such currents.
The optimisation of the layout is described, as are the constraints taken into account, which include:
The study is carried out on a Geographic Information System by analysing a Digital Elevation Model, which is built using a multibeam bathymetry survey of the site.
Two methodologies used by EDF for tidal resource assessment are applied. The results are obtained using the Telemac-2D model of the Paimpol-Bréhat zone, validated against ADCP measurements. This model is refined to include modelling of the wake effects. The results show the differences in energy yield between the various layouts modelled.
