Sustainability of wave energy resources in the South China Sea based on five decades of changing climate

Abstract

In this study, 55 years of simulated waves using SWAN were utilized to investigate the long-term change of the resources in the South China Sea as a new measure for locating suitable areas for wave energy extraction. The results showed that there are mainly three regions with higher potential in their nearshore areas: Luzon Strait, southern coasts of China, and southeast of Vietnam. However, the intra-annual fluctuation of the wave power is considerably high in southeast Vietnam ranging from 2 to 40 kW/m, and the long-term change of wave energy resources during the 55 years is high in Luzon Strait (around −0.2 kW/m per year). Moreover, the decadal variability has a significant increase in the ‘70s and then, a slight decrease during the next decades in wave power potential in southeast Vietnam, while the southern coasts of China include the most stable wave resources in both short and long-term evaluations. The investigation in the selected points indicated that the rate of change of wave power is higher in areas with higher wave energy. The results of this study highlight the importance of including the long-term change in detecting the appropriate areas for wave energy exploitation in line with sustainable development.