WAVE POWER GENERATION POTENTIAL EVALUATION IN THE COASTAL AREA USING WAVE PREDICTION MODEL

Abstract

 Among renewable energies, wave generation is less popular, because the energy concentration is lower than another natural energies. The wave energy resources is evaluated in this study for es-timation of possibility of the wave generation. Some wave parameters in mechanical and marine engineering which contain wave direction are evaluated because wave direction should be im-portant for efficiency of generation devices. First, the wave potential along Japanese shoreline is calculated from Nationwide Ocean Wave information network for Ports and Harbours (NOWPHAS), and Kashima area is selected as the suitable location for wave generation, because the wave energy potential is higher than others and stable seasonally. Next, wave potential maps are computed with the ocean model, SWAN. The potential is Choshi is hight in the map, and this result indicate the possibility of wave generation there. The parameter “Directionally resolved wave power” which takes wave direction into account, is 29 % less than Omni-directional wave power at Choshi due to the limitation of the direction.