SEAREV: Case study of the development of a wave energy converter

Abstract

a b s t r a c tIn this paper, technical and economical studies conducted on the SEAREV Wave Energy Converter (WEC) are presented. This technology was first proposed in 2002 with the aim of addressing critical challenges in wave energy conversion. It consists of a closed floating hull in which a heavy pendulum oscillates. The controlled relative motion of the pendulum is used to produce electricity.The SEAREV WEC was developed over twelve years. Through the development process, three main generations of the technology were defined and studied in detail. They are presented in the paper, showing how each new generation brought significant improvements over the previous generation with respect to production and costs.In 2013, an economical model for wave energy farms was developed to assess the viability and competitiveness of the SEAREV technology. Although results show that the SEAREV technology is a sound technical solution, the cost of energy projection is still too high to allow direct access to mass electricity market in European countries in the short term.Finally, in light of the lessons learned from the SEAREV WEC development, the need for innovative technologies with higher technology performance level (TPL) or alternative markets is discussed in the context of wave energy.

A database of capture width ratio of wave energy converters

“…According to data shown in Tables 1, 2 and 5 of Ref. [42], the mean CWR are respectively 20%, 16% and 25% for SEAREV G1, SEAREV G21 and SEAREV G3 for a site with 25 kW/m resource.…”

“…Ref. [42] deals with the development of the SEAREV WEC technology. The SEAREV device absorbs wave power through pitch motion; as such, it can be classified as a variant of floating OWSC.…”

“…In the database, we retained only results with passive control. Three versions of the SEAREV technology are presented in the source [42]. They are labelled SEAREV G1, SEAREV G21 and SEAREV G3.…”

Wave Tank Testing of a Pendulum Wave Energy Converter 1:12 Scale Model

“…Cordonnier et al [2015] described the development of a pendulum-based WEC optimized for the Oceanic site of the Isle of Yeu (France).…”

Dynamic Characteristics of Magnetic Coupling in Horizontal Axis Wave Energy Device

“…Wave energy is an important renewable energy and it shows great development values because it is clean, pollution-free, abundant and widespread [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The wave energy utilization methods include mechanical, pneumatic and hydraulic forms, which are used in different situations accordingly [7][8][9], and whose service life, working performance and conversion efficiency are affected by various factors [10][11][12].…”