Wave energy resource characterization and assessment for coastal waters of the United States

• Published in: Applied energy Vol. 267; no. C; p. 114922
• Main Authors: Ahn, Seongho, Haas, Kevin A., Neary, Vincent S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2020; Elsevier
• Subjects: United States wave energy resource climates; Wave energy resource assessment; Wave energy resource attributes; Wave energy resource characterization; Wave energy resource parameters; Wave energy resource attributes; Wave energy resource characterization; Wave energy resource assessment; United States wave energy resource climates; Wave energy resource parameters
• ISSN: 0306-2619; 1872-9118
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114922

•Wave energy for United States coastal waters is assessed using WaveWatchIII hindcast.•New wave energy resource attribute parameters are proposed.•Frequency, directional, and temporal variability of the wave energy are characterized.•The resource attributes corroborate with distinct regional wave climate features. The wave energy resource is characterized and assessed for coastal waters of the United States to evaluate regional opportunities and constraints for wave energy converter (WEC) projects. Partitioned wave parameters generated from a 30-year WaveWatch III model hindcast are used to estimate the total wave energy potential as an annual available energy (AAE), which is a theoretical annual energy production per unit energy capture length without considering energy conversion losses. The distribution of AAE by peak period, wave direction, month, and year is quantified using summary statistics, including peak period spread, AAE-weighted period, AAE-directionality coefficient, and inter-annual and seasonal temporal variability. Geographical distributions of the AAE and these five resource attributes delineate distinct wave energy resource regions within United States coastal waters, where different opportunities and constraints may influence regional energy planning, WEC project development, and WEC conceptual design.