Tidal turbine power performance assessments following IEC TS 62600-200 using measured and modelled power outputs

Demonstrating power performance in real conditions is vital for verifying tidal turbine design. The International Electrotechnical Commission’s Technical Specification IEC TS 62600-200 provides guidance for tidal developers to evaluate machine performance. This study evaluates the performance of the operational 1 MW DEEP-Gen IV commercial-scale tidal turbine deployed during the ReDAPT project at the European Marine Energy Centre’s tidal test site in Orkney, Scotland. IEC TS 62600-200 states that the power performance should be measured relative to two independently located current profilers deployed in one of two orientations; ‘in-line’ (preferred) or ‘adjacent’ (least preferred), relative to the turbine. Two measurement campaigns are used to assess the impact of instrument placement on the measured power curve and annual energy production (AEP). The ambient current flow and vertical profile form differed at each current profiler location (due to topography and bathymetry), leading to AEP variability. The results reinforce the IEC TS preferred orientation for instrument placement, with inline measurements showing smaller variation in AEP estimates compared with adjacent measurements. An additional analysis assesses the sensitivity of AEP estimates on the vertical alignment of the flow profiles with rotor positioning. For this we consider three turbine scenarios: the DEEP-Gen IV and two modelled turbine rotors occupying different regions in the water column. Results show that for regions of high vertical shear, AEP estimates can be misrepresented by up to 5.5% under an imposed vertical misalignment of 2 m. This work has quantified, at this site, the variation in AEP estimates from different flow measurement campaigns informed by IEC TS 62600-200 and has shown the need to ensure good vertical alignment between measurements and turbine rotor positioning.