Best practices for the use of electrical test infrastructures to validate control strategies: A case study in wave energy conversion

The use of an electrical test infrastructure is crucial for developers of ocean energy technologies to success in prototype testing phase. It offers numerous advantages to improve product reliability and technology readiness at each stage of the development of new concepts for wind, tidal or wave energy. The aim of the paper is to propose a methodology for electrical components testing and validation of control strategies based on experience earned on a small scale electrical Power Take-Off test rig. A case study to validate the control of a Wave Energy Converter is made applying the methodology. It is a floating Oscillating Water Column point absorber equipped with a self-rectifying air turbine and coupled to a generator. The procedure for performing a real time simulation and run test procedures are detailed in practice. The results of the validation phase of a control sequence are presented showing numerical simulation data and real time measurements.