IEC TS 62600-300:2019 PDF

Overview

IEC TS 62600-300:2019 - "Marine energy - Wave, tidal and other water current converters - Part 300: Electricity producing river energy converters - Power performance assessment" - defines a systematic methodology to evaluate power performance of river current energy converters (RECs) that generate electricity for utility-scale or local grids. The technical specification establishes how to define rated capacity and rated water speed, produce certified power curves, and report results in a consistent, auditable way.

The standard focuses on demonstrated and tested electrical power performance and provides a framework for measurement, data processing and reporting. It explicitly excludes resource assessment (addressed separately), scaling of results, power quality, non-electrical energy outputs, non-power performance metrics, and combined-array interaction effects.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Definitions and operational parameters: rated capacity, rated water speed, capture area and operational states of RECs.
• Measurement requirements:
  • Electric power measurement and associated instrumentation.
  • River current measurement (profilers or other current meters) and data acquisition systems.
  • Calibration, averaging, filtering and data-exclusion procedures to ensure traceable measurements.
• Test types:
  • Demonstrated (in-situ) performance at river sites.
  • Tested performance in controlled environments (towing tanks, flumes, push/pull tests).
• Power curve production:
  • Use of binning methods (method of bins) to compute power curves from paired river speed and power data.
  • Procedures for interpolation, extrapolation and uncertainty quantification of the power curve.
• Derived metrics:
  • REC overall efficiency, mean vertical/horizontal shear profiles, RMS speed fluctuations, and directional statistics.
• Reporting framework:
  • Required content for REC reports, site reports, test equipment reports, measurement procedure documentation and uncertainty assumptions.

Applications and who uses this standard

IEC TS 62600-300:2019 is intended for:

• Device manufacturers validating claimed power output and rated capacity.
• Project developers and asset owners evaluating site suitability and expected energy yield.
• Test laboratories and research institutes conducting flume/towing tank and field trials.
• Certification bodies, investors and regulators requiring standardized, transparent performance data.
• System integrators sizing inverters, grid interfaces and electrical balance-of-plant based on verified power curves.

Practical benefits include consistent performance claims, improved comparability between REC designs, and robust datasets for financial modeling and permitting.

Related standards

• Other parts of the IEC TS 62600 series (marine/wave/tidal converters).
• The separate River Energy Resource Assessment Technical Specification (for resource characterization and not covered here).
• National and industry standards for electrical measurement and instrumentation may also apply.