Methodology for evaluating the economic pay-off of a more powerful wave energy resource

O. Roberts, H. Jeffrey, P. Ruiz-Minguela

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This study demonstrates a methodology for investigating the influence of Power Level (PL) on economic returns even when the exact characteristics of the chosen location are unknown. By linearising the relationship between site PL and the distribution of wave height and wave period, the influence on productivity and cost can be determined. An economic model is used to estimate Wave Energy Converter (WEC) performance and calculate the cost of four cost centres: the structure, mooring, power take-off and cabling, based on the PL. The results show that the rate of decrease in LCOE decreases with increasing PL, but that this trend is location specific. In certain cases, beyond 55 kW/m there is no improvement in the LCOE. This shows that careful, site-specific consideration needs to be given to selecting a more powerful energy resource for (WEC) deployment.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings in Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering
PublisherCRC Press
Pages95-103
Number of pages9
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Publication series

NameProceedings in Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering
Volume2019
ISSN (Print)2638-647X
ISSN (Electronic)2638-6461

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