The Wave Energy Cost Reduction project has investigated the optimal number, size, arrangement and location of wave energy device arrays to minimise the cost of installation and infrastructure while maximising power output. This report outlines the findings from the project at completion.
Report extract
The University of Western Australia, in collaboration with Carnegie Clean Energy and with the support of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has undertaken a four-year research programme aimed at developing ocean engineering solutions to reduce the levelised cost of wave energy.
The research programme focused on developing a multidisciplinary optimisation approach that considers not only maximisation of the power production but minimisation of cabling and foundation infrastructure costs. Specifically, the approach enables the identification of the optimal location and configuration of an array of wave energy converters as a function of wave resources, seabed characteristics and potential coastal impacts. In this context, the optimal location is the location that exhibits the lowest ratio of cost of infrastructure to mean power output.