Wave energy assessment for 39 years along the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of India

Abstract

The excess use of the existing conventional sources of energy and the need to reduce carbon emission in the light of climate change asserts the need for exploitation of clean as well as sustainable energy sources. For India, surrounded by oceans from three sides, the assessment of wave power potential can prove to be crucial from the perspective of managing the ever-increasing energy requirements of the population. The knowledge of the spatial and temporal variation of wave energy is important for the operational and optimum utilization of this renewable source of energy. The present study assesses the variations in Significant Wave Height (SWH) and Wave Power (WP) along the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of India by using 39 years of ERA-Interim dataset produced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The ERA-Interim data is compared with the measured data obtained from seven different buoys located in the Arabian Sea (AS) and Bengal of Bengal (BoB). Further, a detailed evaluation of the monthly, seasonal and annual variation of SWH and WP is conducted and discussed for the EEZ along the mainland of India and the Islands of Lakshadweep as well as Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Although similar assessments have been conducted for certain locations along the Indian coastline, earlier, the wave energy potential has not been studied thoroughly for the Indian Islands, which depend largely on the mainland for their energy requirements.