Ocean waves are created by the interaction of wind with the surface of the sea, so they have the potential to provide an unlimited source of renewable energy. Wave energy can be extracted and converted into electricity by wave power machines, either on the shoreline or in deeper waters offshore.
The main problem with wave power is that the sea is a very harsh, unforgiving environment. An economically viable wave power machine has to generate power over a wide range of wave sizes – and be able to withstand the largest and most severe storms as well as other potential problems such as algae, barnacles and corrosion.
The UK wave energy resource
Wave power is much more predictable than wind power – and it increases during the winter, when electricity demand is at its highest. The UK has around 35% of Europe’s total wave resource. Most of this is situated off the northwest coast of Scotland, and the seas of the southwest of England also have great potential.
Numerous published estimates suggest the UK wave energy resource is very large. The most recent estimate is around 50 TWh/y, which represents 12.4% of UK electricity generation. Producing 50 TWh/y would require huge arrays of devices, hundreds of kilometres in length and located tens or even hundreds of kilometres offshore.
Protocols
A number of protocols have been produced on the development and performance of wave energy devices. These aim to promote industry best practices and enable consistent assessment of the performance of different devices. Read details of these protocols below:
Preliminary Wave Energy Device Performance Protocol
An important objective of the MRDF Wave and Tidal-stream Energy Demonstration Scheme is to produce clear, consistent and meaningful assessments of the performance of wave devices. This will enable the Government, industry and the finance and investment community to make informed judgements of the commercial prospects of the technologies being demonstrated.
This is an explicit written protocol on how to assess performance, to ensure consistency. It will form part of the contract. It is designed to ensure data is captured to allow the varying power generated by wave energy devices to be considered in the context of the corresponding sea conditions.
The protocol is aimed at developers of wave energy generation stations that have, or expect to have, grants with DECC under the Wave and Tidal-stream Energy Demonstration Scheme.
Ocean Energy: Development & Evaluation Protocol
The Hydraulics & Maritime Research Centre at University College Cork has published a document that describes a development and evaluation protocol, specifically adapted to advance the development of wave energy devices. The basis of the schedule is similar to that established by NASA and is widely used by many engineering research establishments.