Optimisation of tidal power arrays using a genetic algorithm

Machines for generating electricity from tidal flows have seen substantial development in recent years, and studies have examined the issues that govern the positioning of devices in relation to each other. This is a complex problem, because the installation of a device can affect the flow both upstream and downstream; also the effects of multiple devices are not simply cumulative, but give rise to complex interactions. The complexity is greatly increased by the geometry of the tidal channel. Determination of an optimum arrangement of devices is a multi-objective problem, which lends itself to solution using genetic algorithms. This approach has been proposed for the design of wind farms; this paper uses a simplified analysis to investigate its potential for the optimisation of tidal power arrays.