Abstract

Shallow-water hydrokinetic turbines (water depth less than 3 m) have attracted decades of research, yet global installed capacity remains below 100 MW. This systematic review critically analyzes 38 studies (January 2015–December 2025, with 9 legacy background studies 2000-2014) across design parameters, performance validation, and deployment barriers using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines with dual independent screening (Cohen’s kappa = 0.83). Three technology families demonstrate distinct trade-offs: Cross-Flow Impulse turbines achieve field-validated power coefficient = 0.18 – 0.28; Floating Water Wheels operate at power coefficient = 0.12 – 0.18 (kinetic mode, blockage ratio < 0.40) or hydraulic efficiency = 0.45–0.60 (Rotating Hydrostatic Pressure Machine mode, blockage ratio > 0.40); Cross-Flow Lift turbines lack shallow-water field validation despite laboratory potential (power coefficient = 0.35 – 0.49). Systematic 15 – 45% laboratory-to-field performance degradation demands explicit derating factors in design practice. Methodological analysis reveals ±20–40% prediction uncertainty from competing blockage corrections (±18% variation), unvalidated volume-of-fluid free-surface modeling (22% validate surface profiles), and absent ventilation frameworks. Economic barriers prove decisive: field capital costs (5,000 – 12,000 USD/kW) yield levelized cost of electricity 0.1 – 0.30 USD/kWh versus solar photovoltaic 0.03 – 0.05 USD/kWh. Evidence positions shallow-water hydrokinetics as niche technology for off-grid baseload and site-constrained applications rather than mainstream renewable deployment.