Feasibility Study of the Installation of Wave Energy Converters in Existing Breakwaters in the North of Spain

Abstract

In a context of growing global awareness of environmental sustainability, given the risks associated with global warming and climate change, the transition from environmental models to highly intensive fossil fuel production towards new clean energy systems marks the future of global public agendas. In this scenario, a feasibility study of the installation of wave energy converters, such as the Sea Slot-Cone Generator (SSG) and the Oscillating Water Column (OWC), was carried out in existing breakwaters in the North of Spain, choosing Punta Langosteira (Outer Port of A Coruña), Dique Torres and Dique Norte (Port el Musel, Gijón) and Punta Lucero (Port of Bilbao). It was aimed at capturing the great energy potential of the Atlantic Ocean, as an innovative solution linked to the development of renewable energy sources of marine origin. The selection of the most optimal and efficient alternative will depend on different aspects: the quantitative availability of the wave energy resource at the study points, the production of energy obtained by the device and the capacity factor, the capacity of the wave energy facility to supply the energy consumption in every port to boost the image of "Green Port", the constructive viability so that the condition of having the construction works only during one year and an economic estimation of each alternative.

Benchmarking marine renewable energy technologies through LCA: Wave energy converters in the Mediterranean

“…The proximity to the power grid and the absence of deep-water moorings are further advantages for its implementation. In order to find an average value of materials and determine an estimate of productivity, one reference for the present study was a 296 kW OWC plant composed of 16 chambers with a length of 100 m, inaugurated in the bay of Mutriku (Spain) in 2011 (Lacasa et al, 2019). Another one was the full-scale plant REWEC 3 (REsonant Wave Energy Converter) developed in Italy by the University of Reggio Calabria and installed in the port of Civitavecchia.…”

Sea Wave Energy. A Review of the Current Technologies and Perspectives

“…The Pico Plant is reported in Figure 11. In 2011, an OWC plant was inaugurated in the bay of Mutriku (Spain) [53]. The power plant is 100 m long and has an installed power of 296 kW.…”

Field Campaign on Pressure on the Crown Wall at the Outer Port of Punta Langosteira Breakwater

“…One of the most common types of breakwaters are rubble mound ones, which are an accumulation of material in an orderly way consisting of different components: armour, filters, core, berm, and crown wall. Breakwaters with crown walls require less material, and thus less occupation of the seabed and consequently a lower impact, to achieve the same overtopping rate as those without crown walls [3][4][5]. In fact, nowadays, it is most common to find and design seawalls with crown walls.…”