Tidal range resource of Western Australia

With an estimated annual mean global resource exceeding 1 TW, the tidal range resource is one of the largest, yet untapped, ocean renewable energy resources. However, the tidal range resource is concentrated in just a few locations around the world, with 30% of the theoretical resource residing in Western Australia and 23% in the Bay of Fundy. Here, we examine the tidal range resource of Western Australia in detail, making use of the OTIS tidal atlas. We apply 0D models of tidal range power plants, constrained by typical embankment and turbine characteristics, to estimate the technical tidal range resource of the region, including optimization of multiple (aggregated) power plants to reduce semidiurnal variability in the resulting power output. We comment on challenges and opportunities for grid integration and international export.