The newly available SIMAR-44 data set, covering a 44-year period, is used together with wave buoy data to assess the wave energy resource along the Death Coast, the craggy stretch from Cape Finisterre to the Sisarga Isles. Its location at the north-western corner of the Iberian Peninsula and its...

The offshore and inshore wave energy resource in Asturias (N Spain) is studied using wave buoy data and a hindcast dataset spanning 44 years (1958–2001). Offshore average wave power and annual wave energy values are found to exceed 30 kW/m and 250 MWh/m, respectively, at 7 of the 11 study...

Where should the first wave farm in a region be installed? The nearshore area with the largest resource is the prime candidate. But how should this area be determined? Wave resource analyses typically consider a small number of wave patterns. Does the number of wave patterns influence the...

Sardinia (Italy) is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and its economy is penalized by high costs of electricity, which is double compared to the continental Italian regions, and triple compared to the EU average. In this research, the wave energy potential of the north-west of...

The island of El Hierro (Spain), a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Atlantic Ocean, aims to become the first 100% renewable energy island in the world. With a €54 million wind project already under way, the present research looks at the island’s wave resource using a 44-year hindcast dataset...

The island of La Palma (Spain), dubbed La Isla Bonita for its beauty, is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Atlantic Ocean. The island’s authorities are aiming for energy self-sufficiency based on wave energy and other renewables. In this research its wave resource is investigated using a...

The area around Cape Estaca de Bares (the northernmost point of Iberia) presents a great potential for wave energy exploitation owing to its prominent position, with average deepwater wave power values exceeding 40kW/m. The newly available SIMAR-44 dataset, composed of hindcast data spanning 44...

In the testing of ocean wave energy devices, the demand for a portable and robust data acquisition and electrical loading system has become apparent. This paper investigates the development of a 30 kW inclusive system combining loading capabilities, real-time power analysis, and data...

Innovation activity in marine energy (wave and tidal stream) has been catalysed by a series of recent UK policy initiatives. However, the wider UK energy system remains substantially oriented to market competition and efficiency. As a result, tensions have emerged between recent R&D activity...

Innovation activity in marine energy (wave and tidal stream) has been catalysed by a series of recent UK policy initiatives. However, the wider UK energy system remains substantially oriented to market competition and efficiency. As a result, tensions have emerged between recent R&D activity...