The document outlines the Terawatt project, a collaborative research initiative that investigates the environmental and ecological impacts of wave and tidal energy extraction in Scotland. It details the project’s structure, objectives, workstreams, and methodologies, involving multiple academic institutions and industry partnerships. Additionally, it describes related projects like Ecowatt 2050, which focuses on marine planning for sustainable development in renewable energy.

1. TeraWatt
a collaborative research project funded under the EPSRC
Grand Challenge
Mike by DHI 15th UK User Group Meeting
Lion Quays Waterside Resort, Shropshire
Talk by Arne Vӧgler, CI
arne.vogler@uhi.ac.uk

2. Overview
i. Introduction to MASTS
ii. The Context
iii. Introduction to TeraWatt, EcoWatt2050
iv. Workstreams
v. The Model(s) Progress and Experiences so far
vi. Next Steps

3. Marine Alliance for Science and Technology
for Scotland - Overview
• ~700 researchers across 10 key partner institutions
• Initial investment from Scottish Funding Council and partners:
£75m [2009-2016, £34m investments in new appointments and infrastructure]
• Majority of new money – 34 staff – 48 studentships
• Integration of science with policy and regulation
• High level representation
• Promotes and facilitates collaboration and co-operation
- nationally and internationally
• Drives scientific excellence in research and training
• Provides critical mass

6. Example Array layout
information available
from EIA/licensing
documents
Example documents
include:
• Initial scoping
reports Scoping & AM
• Assessment
methodology (AM)
statements/report
• Final Environmental
Statements (ES) Scoping
Scoping
Scoping & ES Scoping

7. Challenges
1. How do near field physical processes change
post array development?
2. What are the consequences of marine energy
extraction on array scale to the benthic habitat?

8. TeraWatt
Large scale InTERActive coupled 3D modelling for WAve
and Tidal energy resource and environmental impacT
2012 – 2015
Multi-institution EPSRC research project established under the Marine Alliance
for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS), involving the Universities of
o Heriot-Watt (ICIT Orkney Campus, PI Jon Side)
o Edinburgh
o Highlands and Islands (Lews Castle College and SAMS)
o Strathclyde
o Swansea
o and with Marine Scotland Science as full consortium partners

9. TERAWATT seeks to answer and address:
1) What is the best way to assess wave and tidal energy
resources, and feedbacks on energy extraction, in certain
geographical areas?
2) What are the physical consequences of wave and tidal
energy extraction?
3) What are the ecological consequences of wave and tidal
energy extraction?
4) The development of standard hydrographic modelling
methodologies for wave and tidal developments.
Industry input led to the selection of Mike and Delft3D for
modelling during formative discussions on the proposal.

10. EcoWatt 2050
Supplementary to TeraWatt
To follow up on findings of TeraWatt on larger scale
2013 – 2016
Multi-institution EPSRC research project established under the Marine Alliance
for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS), involving the Universities of
o Heriot-Watt (ICIT Orkney Campus, PI Jon Side)
o Edinburgh
o Highlands and Islands (Lews Castle College and SAMS)
o Strathclyde
o Swansea
o Marine Scotland Science
o National Oceanographic Centre
o University of Aberdeen

11. EcoWatt 2050
1) How can marine planning be used to lay the foundation for the sustainable
development of very large scale arrays of marine renewable energy devices?
2) What criteria should be used to determine the ecological limits to marine
renewable energy extraction, and what are the implications for very large
scale array characteristics?
3) How can we differentiate between the effects of climate change and of energy
extraction on the marine ecosystem?
4) Are there ways in which marine renewables development may ameliorate or
exacerbate the predicted effects of climate change on marine ecosystems?

12. TERAWATT is structured in 4 workstreams:
WORKSTREAM 1: The Research Questions, and Monitoring
Progress towards Project Aims/Deliverables and the Methods
Toolbox (lead Marine Scotland ~ Ian Davies)
WORKSTREAM 2: Wave and tidal stream modelling (Lead
Edinburgh University ~ Venki Venugopal)
WORKSTREAM 3: Sediment Dynamics (Lead Strathclyde and
Swansea ~ Mike Heath and Harshinie Karunathra)
WORKSTREAM 4: Ecological Consequences of wave and tidal
energy extraction (lead Heriot-Watt University and SAMS ~ Jon
Side and Mike Burrows)
Overseen by a Project Management Committee with a Steering
Group with Workshop and Knowledge Exchange Events managed
and co-ordinated by MASTS ~ Mark James

13. Seabed bathymetry - National Geophysical Data Center Workstream 2
(ETOPO1, GEBCO_08 Grid — global grid at 30 arc-second
Illustration of
intervals): Wind input – ECMWF, NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis
the use of Mike
(6hr intervals)
by DHI for wave
modelling

14. Modelled significant wave height Workstream 2
10th March 2012, 09:00:00 am Illustration of
the use of Mike
by DHI for
wave
modelling

15. Significant wave height – Model Validation
with CEFAS Buoy @ 57°17'.52N and 07°54'.84W in 103m of water
Cefas Buoy: Sign. Wave Height [m]
Sig Wave Ht [m]
D:Hebrideswave_dataCefas BuoyMarch 2012Cefas March 2012.dfs0
odel InputsHebridean_final_OperationalData.sw - Result FilesPoint_0_125deg_March2012_operational.dfs0
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
00:00 00:00 00:00 00:00 00:00 00:00
2012-03-02 03-07 03-12 03-17 03-22 03-27

16. Zero Crossing Period – Model Validation
with CEFAS Buoy @ 57°17'.52N and 07°54'.84W in 103m of water
Cefas Buoy: Wave Period, T02 [sec]
Tz [sec]
D:Hebrideswave_dataCefas BuoyMarch 2012Cefas March 2012.dfs0
lModel InputsHebridean_final_OperationalData.sw - Result FilesPoint_0_125deg_March2012_operational.dfs0
13.0
12.0
11.0
10.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
00:00 00:00 00:00 00:00 00:00 00:00
2012-03-02 03-07 03-12 03-17 03-22 03-27

17. EVOLUTION OF DOMAIN
• Version 1: 57N-60N; 1.5W-5.75W. The extended
domain was considered for inclusion of Murray firth
region and enough fetch on the south-east. However,
the projection was wrong.
• Version 2: 57.5N-60N; 1.5W-5.75W. The projection was
corrected and domain was reduced to avoid
unnecessary area on the down-right. The boundaries
are inclined.
• Version 3: 58N-60N; 1.5W-6W. The boundaries are
considered inline with UTM coordinates and domain
was further shortened to reduce no of elements.

18. DATA
Bathymetry
– GEBCO (global 30 arc-second grid)
• Filtering out the landpoints
– Marine Scotland Bathymetric Data for Pentland Firth, Orkney and Armadale region
(*.xyz or ASCII format data can be used for MIKE) (resolution: ~2m)
(this data has been interpolated to 10m resolution and used in the present case)

19. Validation (and other) data
•Wick Tide Gauge – continuous data available
•ADCP data Pentland Firth – one month model run
•ADCP data Inner Sound – one month data available
•Fall of Wareness ADCP data – one month data available
•Hebridean Marine Energy Futures Wave buoy and ADCP data (North West Lewis) (1 year +)
•CEFAS Wavenet buoy data (West of Hebrides wave buoy, 1 year +)
•TCE WTKN (Wave and Tidal Knowledge network)
•EMEC Wave buoy data (Billia Croo)
•Beach Profiles – Bay of Skaill
•BGS sediment data

20. BATHYMETRY DATA

21. INTERPOLATED BATHYMETRY OF DOMAIN 3

22. Use of Delft 3D in addition to DHI Mike3/21

23. Future work in Workstream 2 with Mike by DHI: Use of wave
model output for combined wave and tidal model
Wave model Tidal model

24. WS3 - Stonehaven: sediment modelling

25. WS3 - Tidal model
• Tidal model implemented for domain with
astronomical tides (OTPS) as drivers around
open boundary
• Tidal data from Aberdeen and Leith available
for validation (plus elevations from OTPS)
• After initial spinup model matches data
perfectly then goes badly wrong near
minimum tidal range

27. WS3 - Bay of Skaill – Sediment modelling

28. Next steps
• Complete set up of models in Mike3/21 and Delft 3d
• Launch model runs (wave and tide); calibrate models against measured data
• Validation of models
• Integration of wave and tidal energy converters
• Assess relevant changes to key parameters
(e.g. radiation stress, velocities, Hs, Tz, …)
• Provide boundary conditions to sediment modelling studies
• Initiate Sediment model runs (suspended and bed)
• Assess impact of change to physical processes to benthic habitat (follow
statistical procedures)
• Disseminate findings

29. Thank you!
Many thanks to Jon Side, Venki Venugopal, Chris McCaig, Rory O’Hara Murray,
Susanna Baston and MASTS for providing slides for this presentation.