A numerical study of the wave energy distribution around Canary Islands is presented. For this study the WAVEWATCH III model is used to generate waves for the entire North Atlantic basin and the SWAN model is used to determine the transformation of the waves in the Canary Islands.

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...