Power generation from the sea can exploit either sea waves or tidal flows. The main attraction of this form of generation is the combination of a substantial resource and relatively predictable output, although less so in the case of waves. Against this is the challenge of constructing reliable systems, which can generate economically in a hostile environment. The field is immature and, unlike wind generation, there is no obvious preferred solution.

Chapter Contents:

• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 Potential sea wave resource
• 2.2.1 Geographical distribution of resource
• 2.2.2 Wave characteristics
• 2.2.3 Time and frequency domain definition of waves
• 2.2.3.1 Waves in the time domain
• 2.2.3.2 Waves in the frequency domain
• 2.2.4 Wave energy calculation
• 2.2.5 Wave energy spectrum
• 2.2.5.1 PM spectrum
• 2.2.5.2 JONSWAP spectrum
• 2.2.6 Wave prediction and measurement
• 2.3 Potential tidal resource
• 2.3.1 Estuarial sources
• 2.3.2 Non-estuarial tidal streams
• 2.3.3 Tidal characteristics
• 2.4 Resource, location and reliability
• 2.5 Summary

Inspec keywords: hydroelectric power

Other keywords: hostile environment; tidal flow; power generation; sea wave

Subjects: Tidal and flow energy; Energy resources