Power Smoothing and Energy Storage Sizing of Vented Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Converter Arrays

Abstract

Oscillating water column wave energy converter arrays can be arranged to enhance the energy production and quality of power delivered to the grid. This study investigates four different array configurations of vented oscillating water columns and their effect on power quality and capacity of the energy storage systems required to absorb power fluctuation. Configuring the array of vented oscillating water columns as a nearshore detached breakwater allows combining the benefits of their complementary features. This increases the economic optimization of wave energy converters, paving the path to the energy market. The operations of the integration schemes are evaluated using the results obtained from simulations carried out using MATLAB/Simulink software. Simulation results show that the array of vented oscillating water columns and array of vented oscillating water columns as nearshore detached breakwater configurations increase the quality of power delivered to the grid and reduce the capacity of the energy storage systems required.

Fuzzy Control of Waves Generation in a Towing Tank

“…The energy of the wind waves, naturally occurring in the sea, is harvested with the wave energy converters for electricity generation [47][48][49][50]. Opposite to that, the energy transformation process is inverted for the needs of the model tests.…”

Design Selection and Geometry in OWC Wave Energy Converters for Performance

“…Due to the bidirectional characteristics of the flow, a special solution is required to harvest the greatest amount of available pneumatic energy per cycle. The most common solution are the self-rectifying air turbines [2], although there are other alternatives as the vented OWCs, a novel design that, by using passive rectifying air flow valves in the chamber, works with unidirectional turbines [3]. Among self-rectifying air turbines, Wells (reaction) turbines [4] and impulse turbines, both axial [5], radial [6], or the novel biradial [7], are at the forefront of the developments.…”