Two raft wave energy converters: A combined optimisation of annual energy conversion and stability

Global warming has caused an increasing demand for renewable energy. Currently, 50% of the renewable energy is provided by wind and solar combined. However, these renewable energy sources are highly volatile. Wave energy converters can provide a stable renewable energy source. Previous research has contributed to understanding various combined...

Nearshore submerged wave farm optimisation: A multi-objective approach

To be commercially viable, wave energy converters (WECs) will need to be deployed in arrays or “wave farms” to generate significant amounts of energy and to have the costs of these farms minimised. However, when designing a wave farm, there are a number of trade-offs to be made between competing objectives; for example, between the power...

Shifting wave energy perceptions: the case for Wave Energy Converter (WEC) feasibility at milder resources

Wave energy can provide significant benefits as renewables acquire more share in electricity production. So far, focus for the development of wave energy is given to areas with resources ≥ 25 kW/m, with moderate resources often not considered. Furthermore, waves have larger uncertainties associated with diverse portfolio of converters leading...

Layout optimization of heaving Wave Energy Converters linear arrays in front of a vertical wall

The present paper focuses on the determination of optimum layouts for linear arrays of heaving Wave Energy Converters (WECs) in front of a vertical wall. Optimum layouts maximize the annual averaged absorbed energy at a given marine site and satisfy spatial constraints. For achieving this goal, we developed an efficient optimization numerical...

Wave Energy Resource Assessment for Exploitation—A Review

Over recent decades, the exploitation of wave energy resources has sparked a wide range of technologies dedicated to capturing the available power with maximum efficiency, reduced costs, and minimum environmental impacts. These different objectives are fundamental to guarantee the development of the marine wave energy sector, but require also...