Tidal energy assessment along the coast of the Andaman Sea in Southern Thailand

In the context of climate change, power generation from renewable energy resources is rapidly developing throughout the World. While still in its infancy, tidal power is seen, on a long-term basis, as a component of renewable energy portfolios. This paper assesses the technical power potential and the economic aspect of tidal power generation along the coast of the Andaman Sea in Southern Thailand. As a necessary condition for tidal power generation, the tidal current kinetic energy was estimated from the tidal current speeds. The Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) and the Surface-water Modeling System (SMS), along with bathymetry, salinity and sea surface temperature, were executed to analyze the potential of the tidal resource to generate electricity. The forcing data were obtained from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) modeling with FNL reanalysis data over the period of 2012–2016. For validation purposes, the spatial tidal current speeds and water depths were also measured in four representative coastline areas. Some areas of the Andaman Sea coastline appear to have sufficient tidal energy potential for power generation, especially along the southern part of the coast. The results show that the highest annual energy production could reach 160 MWh per year for a 10-unit cluster of a 103 kW tidal current turbine. On the other hand, using the most efficient tidal current turbine studied, the annual energy production could reach 79 MWh per year in large areas of the southern part of the Andaman coast. Finally, for the potential site identified (Pak Phra Strait), the evaluation of the economic indicators reveal that the tidal project could be viable with financial subsidies or incentives from the various levels of governments. • Assessment of the technical power potential of tidal power in Southern Thailand. • Four areas on the coast of the Andaman Sea are assessed for tidal power generation. • The Regional Ocean Modeling System and the Surface-water Modeling System are used. • A 10-unit cluster of tidal turbines could generate up to 160 MWh of energy per year. • Need financial incentives to ensure the viability of tidal power where studied.