Tidal stream power resource assessment for Masset Sound, Haida Gwaii

Abstract

This work presents a case study for the power potential of a tidal stream connecting a bay to the open ocean. The extractable power, averaged over the tidal cycle, from Masset Sound, located in Haida Gwaii, Canada, is estimated as 79 MW when only the dominant M2 tidal constituent is included in the analysis. The value increases to 87 MW when the three dominant constituents are included. It is shown that extracting the maximum power from Masset Sound will decrease both the maximum water surface elevation within the bay and the maximum volume flowrate through the channel to approximately 58 per cent of their undisturbed values.