Characterising the wave power potential of the Scottish coastal environment

Abstract

The study focuses around the energetic waters of Scotland that has expressed high interest in the development of wave energy farms. There are only a few long-term suitable studies characterising coastal locations. A detail coastal resource assessment is provided, focusing on wave energy and site characterisation. Mean nearshore energy content in the Western coasts is ≥50 kW/m and on the East ≈10 kW/m. Monthly and seasonal analyses outline available resource and annual variations. Availability of production is also examined, West coastlines present higher levels, however, depending on resource and wave converters operational range significant differences are shown. Availability levels on the East coastline are low ≈40% due to lower wave heights, while Western locations record consistently over 80% at both scenarios examined. Results discuss the potential applicability of favourable wave converters, and characteristics which achieve maximum utilisation based on the local environment.