The impact of wave energy converter arrays on wave-induced forcing in the surf zone

O’Dea, Annika; Haller, Merrick C.; Özkan-Haller, H. Tuba

doi:10.1016/j.oceaneng.2018.03.077

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Other more precise methods for quantifying and modelling wave energy absorption exist and have been documented in the literature; for example, frequency dependent extraction [8,24] modelled using individual WEC devices [23] offers a more precise estimate of wave shadowing in the lee of a WEC array. However, as frequency response and WEC array layout vary from device to device, modelling these characteristics with great precision will only increase the accuracy of the modelling results if the exact devices to be deployed over the entire lifetime of the permitted array are known with certainty at the impact assessment stage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instead, scaled physical models and numerical models have been used far more extensively to determine the likely near-field (close to WEC) and far-field (close to shore) effects, respectively, of offshore wave farms. Numerical modelling of such coastal effects has been undertaken for case studies in England [6][7][8][9][10][11][12], Scotland [13], Spain [14][15][16], Portugal [17][18][19], Mexico [15], Romania [20][21][22], and the United States [23,24], as well as for generalised cases with idealised bathymetry [25][26][27].…”

Section: Effects Of Wave Energy Extraction On Wave Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Modelling Offshore Wave farms for Coastal Process Impact Assessment: Waves, Beach Morphology, and Water Users

Stokes

Conley

2018

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The emerging global wave energy industry has the potential to contribute to the world's energy needs, but careful consideration of potential impacts to coastal processes in the form of an impact assessment is required for each new wave energy site. Methods for conducting a coastal processes impact assessment for wave energy arrays vary considerably in the scientific literature, particularly with respect to characterising the energy absorption of a wave energy converter (WEC) array in a wave model. In this paper, modelling methods used in the scientific literature to study wave farm impacts on coastal processes are reviewed, with the aim of determining modelling guidance for impact assessments. Effects on wave climate, beach morphology, and the surfing resource for coastal water users are considered. A novel parameterisation for the WEC array transmission coefficient is presented that, for the first time, uses the permitted power rating of the wave farm, which is usually well defined at the impact assessment stage, to estimate the maximum likely absorption of a permitted WEC array. A coastal processes impact assessment case study from a wave farm in south-west Ireland is used to illustrate the application of the reviewed methods, and demonstrates that using the new 'rated power transmission coefficient' rather than a WEC-derived transmission coefficient or complete energy absorption scenario can make the difference between significant and non-significant levels of coastal impacts being predicted.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effects Of Wave Energy Extraction On Wave Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling Offshore Wave farms for Coastal Process Impact Assessment: Waves, Beach Morphology, and Water Users

Stokes

Conley

2018

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…SWAN has also been coupled with beach morphodynamic models to evaluate WEC effects on coastal erosion [36,69]. SWAN has also been used to evaluate the effect of wave energy converter arrays on nearshore wave forcing [70]. Additional applications of SWAN have been reviewed by Ozkan et al [18].…”

Section: Wave Propagation Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Modeling Approaches for Understanding and Monitoring the Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy

Buenau

Garavelli

Hemery

et al. 2022

JMSE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the environmental effects of marine energy (ME) devices is fundamental for their sustainable development and efficient regulation. However, measuring effects is difficult given the limited number of operational devices currently deployed. Numerical modeling is a powerful tool for estimating environmental effects and quantifying risks. It is most effective when informed by empirical data and coordinated with the development and implementation of monitoring protocols. We reviewed modeling techniques and information needs for six environmental stressor–receptor interactions related to ME: changes in oceanographic systems, underwater noise, electromagnetic fields (EMFs), changes in habitat, collision risk, and displacement of marine animals. This review considers the effects of tidal, wave, and ocean current energy converters. We summarized the availability and maturity of models for each stressor–receptor interaction and provide examples involving ME devices when available and analogous examples otherwise. Models for oceanographic systems and underwater noise were widely available and sometimes applied to ME, but need validation in real-world settings. Many methods are available for modeling habitat change and displacement of marine animals, but few examples related to ME exist. Models of collision risk and species response to EMFs are still in stages of theory development and need more observational data, particularly about species behavior near devices, to be effective. We conclude by synthesizing model status, commonalities between models, and overlapping monitoring needs that can be exploited to develop a coordinated and efficient set of protocols for predicting and monitoring the environmental effects of ME.

show abstract

“…Thus, by ignoring this property of the wave energy converters we may overestimate the impacts they will have in the wave field in the lee of the arrays. See for example [34] and also the similar study [35]. On the other hand, the objective of the present work was to assess the coastal impact of various marine energy farm configurations and not to model in a very accurate way the wave energy extraction for a certain device.…”

Section: Issm Computational Platform and Case Studies 221 The Issm Interfacementioning

confidence: 99%

The Expected Impact of Marine Energy Farms Operating in Island Environments with Mild Wave Energy Resources—A Case Study in the Mediterranean Sea

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A particularity of island areas is that they are subjected to strong sea state conditions that can have a severe impact on the beach stability, while on the other hand, they rely mainly on diesel combustion for electricity production which in the long run is not a sustainable solution. The aim of this work is to tackle these two issues, by assessing the impact of a hybrid marine energy farm that may operate near the north-western part of Giglio Island in the Mediterranean Sea. As a first step, the most relevant environmental conditions (wind and waves) over a 27-year time interval (January 1992–December 2018) were identified considering data coming from both ERA5 and the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative for Sea State. An overview of the electricity production was made by considering some offshore wind turbines, the results showing that even during the summertime when there is a peak demand (but low wind resources), the demand can be fully covered by five wind turbines defined each by a rated power of 6 MW. The main objective of this work is to assess the coastal impact induced by a marine energy farm, and for this reason, various layouts obtained by varying the number of lines (one or two) and the distance between the devices were proposed. The modelling system considered has been already calibrated in the target area for this type of study while the selected device is defined by a relatively low absorption property. The dynamics of various wave parameters has been analysed, including significant wave height, but also parameters related to the breaking mechanics, and longshore currents. It was noticed that although the target area is naturally protected by the dominant waves that are coming from the south-western sector, it is possible to occur extreme waves coming from the north-west during the wintertime that can be efficiently attenuated by the presence of the marine energy farm.

show abstract

The impact of wave energy converter arrays on wave-induced forcing in the surf zone

Cited by 21 publications

References 21 publications

Modelling Offshore Wave farms for Coastal Process Impact Assessment: Waves, Beach Morphology, and Water Users

Modelling Offshore Wave farms for Coastal Process Impact Assessment: Waves, Beach Morphology, and Water Users

A Review of Modeling Approaches for Understanding and Monitoring the Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy

The Expected Impact of Marine Energy Farms Operating in Island Environments with Mild Wave Energy Resources—A Case Study in the Mediterranean Sea

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About