Baroclinic model study of the marine current energy potential in the ria de muros (NW Spain)

The Ría de Muros is a large coastal embayment in the northwest of Spain. The narrow nature of this area brings about current velocities well in excess 1.5 m/s; therefore, this semi-enclosed body of water appears promising for marine current energy exploitation. In this work, the current energy resource in the Ría de Muros is studied by means of a numerical model which takes into account as forcing factors of the circulation, not only the tide, but also river inflows and density gradients (baroclinic model). The model results will show that the largest energy potential is found in the narrow sections in the inner ria.