Wave energy converter arrays: A methodology to assess performance considering the disturbed wave field

Abstract

Wave Energy Converters (WECs) often face power fluctuations due to wave variability, making grid integration costly. To mitigate this, placing multiple WECs in an array can reduce both power variability and expenses. Prior research has limited consideration of the impact of individual WECs on the disturbed wave field. Therefore, a novel simulation framework is proposed which is capable of evaluating the disturbed wave field by coupling a time domain hydrodynamics solver (ProteusDS) and a spectral wave field propagation model (Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN)).Numerical simulations are conducted for three different WEC archetypes (RM3, RM5, and Triton) under four representative sea states. The framework is compared with two lower-fidelity models to highlight key array effects. Results show that (a) placing WECs in an array significantly improves power quality (e.g., Triton reduces CoV by up to 37%); (b) WECs notably impact the wave field (e.g., RM3 up to 14%, RM5 up to 39%, Triton up to 29% diffraction); (c) Wave refraction, alongside attenuation, is crucial, or array power may be underpredicted (e.g., RM5 by 40% and Triton by 26%); (d) Constructive array effects can be found (e.g., Triton Q-factor up to 1.07) even without optimization, emphasizing the potential for further improvements.