Abstract
The European Union is a leading patron for the introduction of renewable energy, having set a target that renewable sources will represent at least 27% of total energy consumption by the year 2030. Presently, the most significant Croatian renewable resource is hydropower, which is presently at its peak and will not develop further because of limited hydro resources. Therefore, the share of electricity generation from onshore wind farms in Croatia during in recent years has grown significantly. However, as the Croatian government has already made most of the concessions for possible locations of wind farms, the aim of the present study is to evaluate a different renewable energy resource, wave energy. An assessment of the offshore wave energy potential in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea is performed using data taken from WorldWaves atlas (WWA). WWA is based on satellite measurements, validated against buoy measurements and reanalysed by numerical wave modelling. This assessment was done for seven locations, and mean yearly energy is calculated for two offshore wave energy converters. Capacity factors were calculated for annual as well as for seasonal levels, and it was concluded that the bulk of the energy would be generated in autumn and winter. The most probable extreme significant wave height was determined at the investigated locations as well. Furthermore, the offshore wind energy potential was evaluated and compared to the wave energy potential.
Highlights
A significant increase in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions occurred at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution; this is caused by human activities
WAM is run every day by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and this numerical model is calibrated with satellite measurements
Data outputs for the aforementioned locations in the Adriatic Sea are used for the creation of wave roses, wave power diagrams, and for the characterisation of the yearly energy
Summary
A significant increase in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions occurred at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution; this is caused by human activities. Various destructive changes to the environment were noticed which are caused directly by GHG emission increases. Nowadays, when the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has already exceeded the limit of 400 ppm, and since the demand for energy increases, the urgency for sustainable energy sources is even more highlighted. Most GHG emissions occur because of the combustion of carbon-based fuels, and the search for clean energy is continuously growing. Marine energy could play an important role in the generation of electricity in the long term, based on current demand levels, providing around 15-20% of electrical energy [1]. The most promising marine energy source is wave energy, because of easy predictability and availability around the world [2]. The future of wave energy harvesting relies upon further technological advancements of
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