A Review of Tidal and Wave Energy in Southern Waters of Iran

Article history Received: 19 March 2020 Accepted: 9 April 2020 Published Online: 31 October 2020 This paper discussed the historical review and current status of tidal current energy, problems, and challenges in this energy commercialization. Fossil fuels are nonreplicable and also have negative greenhouse effects on the environment, so the world needs new and sustainable energy resources such as the ocean, wind, solar, biofuels, etc. This review paper focused on the initiative tidal current energy technology and efforts in the development of such energy to extract power from. Iran’s southern waters have been selected in this review. Some former projects and studies, current status, and impact of the tidal current and wave energy on the environment and aquatic life are discussed. Also, the limitations, challenges, and problems in the way of using this energy and infrastructure to transfer the generated power such as grid connections are proposed. It is decided that Chabahar, Bushehr, and Khowr-Moussa are the best locations for harnessing tides and wave energy. This study is among the first review of works done in the aspect of the tidal current energy in Iran and the results will help the investors, policymakers, companies, and researchers to have access to a comprehensive list of up-to-date studies and statistics to better understand the current situation to secure the projects in this field.