Tidal stream energy resource characterization for powering the blue economy applications for Southeastern Alaska

Southeastern Alaska is a remote coastal region characterized by many narrow tidal channels with significant potential tidal energy resources due to the large tidal range (4–6 m). Southeastern Alaska communities struggle with power reliability and often rely upon expensive and polluting diesel generators for electricity. Tidal energy is a reliable and renewable source of power that could be used to augment the region’s power generation capacity. Previous regional-scale studies have found significant potential tidal energy resources in Southeastern Alaska; however, the resolution used in these studies is too coarse for detailed planning. In this study, we present a high-resolution (∼50 m at the finest mesh size), validated model of tidal hydrodynamics for characterizing tidal energy resources for Southeastern Alaska. We find a total of four different regions in both the northern and southern sections of Southeastern Alaska with high tidal energy power density, with Glacier Bay in the northern section having the highest power density of all sites (13,535 kW/m2). We also investigate use cases for tidal energy as a potential power source for isolated island communities to reduce their dependence on imported oil and as an onshore power source for cruise ships to reduce local particulate and carbon emissions while at port.