Tidal Lagoon Power Generation Technology 2026
Tidal Lagoon Power Generation Technology 2026
Tidal lagoon power harnesses head differentials between impounded seawater and the open sea. A renewed wave of patent activity around multi-reservoir architectures and hybrid energy integration signals a second development cycle.
From Foundational Barrages to Hybrid Offshore Platforms
Tidal lagoon power generation creates a head differential between impounded seawater and the open sea, driving hydraulic turbines during both ebb and flood tidal phases. Commercial scale has been demonstrated at La Rance (240 MW, 1966) and Sihwa Lake (254 MW, 2011), the only two plants of this scale currently in operation.
Within this dataset, four mechanistic sub-domains are identifiable: barrage and lagoon impoundment with bidirectional turbines, multi-reservoir three-way penstock architectures, lagoon-specific offshore impoundment designs, and integrated storage multi-use lagoon systems combining power, navigation, and aquaculture on a single structure.
The innovation timeline spans at least three distinct pulses: a foundational phase pre-2010 anchored by the Gokhman and Korean inventor families, a development phase from 2007 to 2014 covering structural efficiency improvements, and an optimisation and integration phase from 2016 to 2025 focused on model predictive control and hybrid offshore energy hubs.
In this dataset, approximately 30 patent documents and 25 or more literature records were retrieved spanning 1991 to 2025. Tse, Kwong Shing leads filing breadth in retrieved records with 8 documents across six jurisdictions, while Korean inventors collectively account for approximately 12 documents, reflecting South Korea’s deployment experience at Sihwa Lake.
Patent Filing Distribution by Jurisdiction and Innovation Phase
Within this dataset, India records the highest single-jurisdiction patent document count at approximately 10 documents, while the US accounts for approximately 7 and Canada for approximately 6. The innovation focus shifted from structural hardware before 2016 toward operational control algorithms and hybrid integration after 2016.
Patent Documents by Jurisdiction (Dataset Snapshot)
India accounts for approximately 10 documents in this dataset — the largest single jurisdiction — reflecting domestic filing activity rather than internationally deployed technology, while the US and Canada together contribute approximately 13 documents.
↗ Click bars to explorePatent Activity by Innovation Phase (Dataset Snapshot)
In this dataset, the development phase (2007–2014) produced the highest concentration of structural hardware patents, while the optimisation phase (2016–2025) is characterised by operational control literature and hybrid system filings from South Korea and China.
↗ Click bars to exploreKey Application Domains for Tidal Lagoon Technology
Tidal lagoon patents and literature in this dataset address five distinct application domains, ranging from utility-scale grid electricity to multi-use coastal infrastructure and hybrid offshore energy hubs.
Utility-Scale National Grid Supply
The dominant application across the dataset is utility-scale electricity generation, exemplified by La Rance (240 MW, 1966) and Sihwa Lake (254 MW, 2011) — the only commercially operational plants at this scale. The 2017 literature review quantified gigawatt-class potential for the UK alone, including multiple combined schemes evaluated in the Bristol Channel.
Grid PowerGrid Flexibility and Wholesale Markets
Since 2018, tidal lagoons have been studied as controllable, dispatchable generators that shift output to peak electricity price periods. The 2022 Swansea Bay case study demonstrated that active head management enables participation in day-ahead wholesale electricity markets, positioning lagoons as flexibility assets analogous to pumped hydro storage.
Grid FlexibilityMulti-Use Maritime Infrastructure
The Tse patent family (WO/US/EP/AU/IN/MY, filed 2016–2022) explicitly frames the lagoon structure as multi-use infrastructure, enabling simultaneous power generation, water storage, aquaculture, navigation routes, and coastal recreation. This approach addresses the key economic barrier of construction cost recovery by spreading costs across multiple revenue streams.
Coastal InfrastructureHybrid Offshore Renewable Platforms
Recent filings extend lagoon concepts into integrated offshore energy hubs. Padam Singh (IN, 2024) proposes combining tidal, wind, and solar on a single offshore platform. The Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (US, 2025) integrates tidal generation with photovoltaic, wind, hydrogen storage, and battery packs under a unified energy management system.
Hybrid Energy HubKey Patent Assignees in Tidal Lagoon Technology (Retrieved Records)
In this dataset, Tse, Kwong Shing holds the most internationally distributed portfolio with 8 documents across six jurisdictions (WO, US, EP, AU, IN, MY), all active or pending. Korean inventors — including Hae Yang Boklubaljern LP and Lee/Jang — collectively account for approximately 12 documents in retrieved records, reflecting South Korea’s deployment experience at Sihwa Lake.
Top Assignees by Patent Document Count in Retrieved Records (Dataset Snapshot)
↗ Click bars to exploreTse, Kwong Shing
Tse, Kwong Shing holds 8 patent documents filed across WO, US, EP, AU, IN, and MY jurisdictions between 2016 and 2022 — the most internationally distributed family in this dataset, with all documents active or pending. The portfolio covers tidal power generation and storage systems that simultaneously enable navigation, aquaculture, and multi-use reservoir functions from a single offshore impoundment. This family represents the most strategically coherent active IP position in retrieved records.
International — WO/US/EP/AU/IN/MYHae Yang Boklubaljern, LP
Hae Yang Boklubaljern, LP (South Korea) holds 4 patent documents across US (2017), EP (2018), CA (2016), and IN (2016–2022) jurisdictions, with filings active in key markets. Their patents cover a construction method for tidal power generation systems using uniflow generators with auxiliary waterways on both sides of the turbine channel, achieving multi-flow generation without blade direction reversal. The approach directly addresses mechanical stress and efficiency losses associated with bidirectional turbine operation.
South KoreaFour Innovation Signals From the 2022–2025 Filing Cohort
The most recent filings and literature from 2022 to 2025 in this dataset reveal four directional signals: complementary multi-unit continuous output systems, pipeline turbine underwater arrays, hydrogen-integrated multi-vector offshore hubs, and advanced model predictive control algorithms demonstrating 10–25% output improvements.
Complementary Dual-Pool Weir Systems for Continuous Output
Cheng Ming-Feng (US, 2025) introduces a dual-pool weir system where left and right pool areas alternate generation duties at tidal curve turning points, providing stable continuous output. This is a direct engineering response to the intermittency problem that has historically constrained tidal lagoon economics. The patent represents the most recent structural hardware filing from a non-Korean, non-Chinese inventor in the dataset.
Model Predictive Control for 10–25% Output Gains
Literature from 2021 and 2022 demonstrates that nonlinear model predictive control and gradient-based scheduling algorithms can deliver 10–25% energy output improvements over simple fixed-schedule operation. The 2022 Swansea Bay study further showed that active head management enables real-time response to electricity market price signals, substantially improving project economics without new construction.
Estuarine Barrage vs. Standalone Coastal Lagoon
Click any row to explore further.
| Dimension | Estuarine Barrage | Standalone Coastal Lagoon |
|---|---|---|
| Operational example | La Rance, France (240 MW, 1966); Sihwa Lake, South Korea (254 MW, 2011) | No commercial-scale standalone lagoon currently operational |
| Civil structure | Full barrage across estuary; blocks estuarine tidal flow | Offshore impoundment wall; does not block full estuary — lower ecological footprint |
| Turbine configuration | Bidirectional bulb turbines (ebb and flood generation); auxiliary reservoir options in Gokhman patents | Same turbine options; Gokhman lagoon patent (CA/GB, 2014) positions power house on lagoon bed with head reservoir on shore |
| Multi-use potential | Limited — barrage disrupts navigation and aquaculture | High — Tse patent family (WO/US/EP/AU/IN/MY, 2016–2022) explicitly enables navigation, aquaculture, water storage, and recreation alongside generation |
| Environmental profile | Sihwa case demonstrates ecological co-benefit (new mud flats, improved biodiversity) documented in 2021 literature; but large-scale barrage carries higher initial ecological disruption | Lower initial disruption; 2018 and 2019 environmental review literature identifies residual sediment and habitat concerns requiring adaptive management |
| IP status (dataset) | Gokhman family (CA/US/GB, 2007–2014) — all inactive; core barrage IP now in public domain | Tse family (WO/US/EP/AU/IN/MY, 2016–2022) — all active or pending; most coherent live IP position in dataset |
| Grid flexibility | Fixed scheduling historically; MPC literature (2018–2022) applies to both barrage and lagoon types | 2022 Swansea Bay study specifically uses standalone lagoon model for day-ahead wholesale market participation via active head management |
Frequently Asked Questions: Tidal Lagoon Power Generation
Based on the dataset, La Rance in France (240 MW, operational since 1966) and Sihwa Lake in South Korea (254 MW, operational since 2011) are the only commercially operational tidal range plants at this scale referenced in retrieved records.
Tse, Kwong Shing holds 8 patent documents filed across WO, US, EP, AU, IN, and MY jurisdictions between 2016 and 2022, with all documents active or pending — the most internationally distributed family in the retrieved records.
Hae Yang Boklubaljern LP installs only unidirectional (uniflow) generators and uses auxiliary waterways on both sides of the turbine channel to alternate water supply direction, achieving multi-flow generation without reverse blade rotation — addressing the mechanical stress and efficiency losses of bidirectional turbines.
According to the 2021 and 2022 literature in this dataset, nonlinear model predictive control and gradient-based scheduling algorithms can deliver 10–25% energy output improvements over simple fixed-schedule operation, and can enable real-time response to electricity market price signals.
According to the dataset, a significant share of foundational IP — including the Gokhman two-way generation and lagoon-specific family (CA/US/GB, 2007–2014) and the Korean integrated tidal-current hybrid systems (WO/US/EP/CA, 2009–2011) — are now inactive, meaning their technical approaches are freely available to developers without licensing costs.
Multiple literature sources in the dataset, including a 2018 study on environmental interactions and a 2019 systematic review of transferable solutions, confirm that regulatory environmental concerns — not hardware maturity — are the primary barrier to deployment. IP strategies bundling environmental monitoring and ecological co-benefit documentation alongside technical patents are identified as better positioned for regulatory approval.
Data and insights on this page are based on a limited patent and literature dataset and are for reference only. Figures may not represent the complete technology landscape.