Advanced wave energy conversion technologies for sustainable and smart sea: A comprehensive review

Hai Li, Xiaodan Shi, Weihua Kong, Lingji Kong, Yongli Hu, Xiaoping Wu, Hongye Pan, Zutao Zhang, Yajia Pan and Jinyue Yan

Renewable Energy, 2025, vol. 238, issue C

Abstract: The world's oceans, covering approximately 71 % of the Earth's surface, harbor vast wave energy resources, offering a potential solution to the pressing energy crisis and environmental pollution caused by fossil fuel combustion. In recent years, there has been a global surge in exploration and development of wave energy conversion technologies, aimed at effectively harnessing wave energy to realizing sustainable and intelligent sea solutions. This comprehensive review examines the advancements, challenges and future research directions of current mainstream wave energy conversion technologies. Firstly, the distribution of global wave resources and energy conversion process involved in wave energy extraction are analyzed. Subsequently, various wave energy conversion technologies are meticulously classified based on their power take-off systems, and the strengths and challenges of each category are comprehensively investigated. Especially, a universal standard consisting of 5 key indicators has been established to evaluate and compare the characteristics of various wave energy conversion technologies based on different transduction mechanisms, providing comprehensive and intuitive valid references for developers with different needs. The evaluation reveals that the wave energy converters based on hybrid systems demonstrate significant promise as conversion technologies. Moreover, the review presents a summary and analysis of the latest advancements in the application of artificial intelligence within wave energy conversion technologies. This emerging integration of artificial intelligence showcases promising development and potential for further enhancing wave energy conversion systems. Lastly, the review explores the application and future research directions of wave energy conversion technologies. Notably, the investigation highlights the potential of developing a multi-energy complementary power generation system that can concurrently harness multiple renewable energy sources coexisting at sea. This concept represents a promising avenue for future research and development.

Keywords: Wave energy conversion technology; Wave energy; Power take-off system; Technical comparison and analysis; Sustainable and smart sea; Artificial intelligence integration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:238:y:2025:i:c:s0960148124020482

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.121980

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