The effects of pumping on the energy potential of a tidal power barrage Available to Purchase

Low head, doubly-regulated (Kaplan) axial flow turbines are well suited to working in reverse as pumps. For good efficiency in both operations, the generating and pumping heads must be complementary. The Rance tidal power scheme in Brittany has been carrying out matched generating and pumping operations to good effect since it was commissioned in 1966. Some simplifications to the range of operations performed at Rance have been identified. There is also potential for these operations to be extended, in particular to make greater use of pumping now that energy storage promises to become a more important function of electricity network operation. The results of the studies reported here explore this opportunity, together with its associated benefit of allowing the timing of generation from the enhanced resource to be varied to best suit that of energy demands.