Abstract
This paper presents an assessment of offshore wave energy potential at the scale of the whole Mediterranean Sea. The offshore wave data were propagated, by means of numerical modeling, toward four Italian coastal areas, namely stretches of coast of Tuscany, Liguria, Sardinia and Sicily. For each area, the wave power and the monthly, seasonal and annual variability at water depths of 50 m and 15 m were analyzed and hotspots were located. The results show strong variability of the wave energy potential from point to point of the same area thus highlighting the need for spatially detailed analysis. The higher values of wave energy potential are located in the hotspots of Sardinia and Sicily, at 11.4 kW/m and 9.1 kW/m, respectively. The Tuscany and the Liguria hotspots are characterized, respectively, by 4.7 kW/m and 2.0 kW/m. In order to point out which state of the art WEC is best suited for the Italian areas, the performances of six different state of the art Wave Energy Converters (WECs) were evaluated. Finally, a comparison of the performances of each WEC in the selected Italian sites and in some European (EU) oceanic sites was conducted. The energy potential in the most energetic EU oceanic site, among those here investigated, is up to 38-times greater than the potentials in the studied Italian areas but the power output, of the best WEC technology, is no more than nine times greater.
Highlights
Due to the depletion of fossil fuel energy resources and the environmental impacts related to their use, the interest in the exploitation of renewable energy sources has been growing for many years and, in this context, the energy of the sea waves is emerging
This paper presents an assessment of offshore wave energy potential at the scale of the whole Mediterranean Sea
The assessment of wave energy potential in the offshore of the whole Mediterranean Sea confirms that the most energetic offshore area is located between Corsica, Sardinia and Balearic Islands
Summary
Due to the depletion of fossil fuel energy resources and the environmental impacts related to their use, the interest in the exploitation of renewable energy sources has been growing for many years and, in this context, the energy of the sea waves is emerging. On the one hand, the sea sites where the wave energy is relatively high offer higher energy potentials, on the other hand, the presence of high waves leads to heavy loads on the WECs, increasing the failure probability and so decreases the overall productivity. Seas with moderate wave climate, with respect to the oceanic conditions, such as the Mediterranean Sea or the North Sea might offer a good compromise for the exploitation of such kind of energy and act as test areas for prototypes in view of their development for the more energetic oceanic sites
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
