Review on configuration and control methods of tidal current turbines

Tidal current turbine, as an effective technical means to contribute to all around the world achieving targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the production of renewable energy, has obtained great concern. It was established that more than 94 TWh per year could be generated in the developable sea area. Many types of tidal current turbine structures and control methods have been proposed, however, the possible increase in power generation must consider parameters such as reliability, cost, and complexity of the control system. The paper presents a review on configuration and control methods of tidal current turbines. The configuration and control methods of tidal current turbines are classified, described and compared, especially for horizontal axis tidal current turbines. Horizontal axis tidal current turbine is more widely used, due to high energy conversion efficiency. Different configuration and corresponding control methods have their advantages and disadvantages, which affect efficiency, maintenance requirements, and the cost of electricity from tidal current.