The performance of the three-float M4 wave energy converter off Albany, on the south coast of western Australia, compared to Orkney (EMEC) in the U.K

H. Santo, P.H. Taylor and P.K. Stansby

Renewable Energy, 2020, vol. 146, issue C, 444-459

Abstract: In this study we compare wave climates and their potential for wave energy conversion for the two energetic but quite different sites of Albany and Orkney. Energy capture is based on the M4 machine with well defined characteristics. The M4 machine is a self reacting system with 3 floats, each float with a circular cross-section when viewed from above. The smaller two floats are rigidly connected by a beam, and the largest float is connected to the mid float by a beam with a hinge. The machine generates power through the relative angular motion of this hinge above the middle float. The machine performance was previously assessed for various locations in the eastern North Atlantic including the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) site west of the Orkney Islands, Scotland, for wave power output (Santo et al., 2016a) and extreme response (Santo et al., 2017). In this study, we apply the analysis to a location off Albany on the south coast of western Australia, an area well-known for almost continuous exposure to long period swells. We use Australian Department of Transport (DOT) wave buoy data measured in 60 m of water over the period 2009−2017. The hourly data is close to continuous but contains some gaps corresponding to ∼ 13% of the total duration, these are patched to form a continuous wave record.

Keywords: M4 wave energy converter; Extreme wave height; Practical wave power; Extreme response; South coast of western Australia; Orkney (EMEC) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:146:y:2020:i:c:p:444-459

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2019.06.146

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