Numerical Simulation of the Effect of Wave Height and Wave Period on Point Absorber Wave Energy Converter

This paper discusses a simulation study that explores the impact of wave height and wave period on the power output of a point absorber wave energy converter (WEC). The investigation was conducted using MATLAB’s open-source code WecSim. The study examines the device’s efficiency and power output under various wave conditions and provides insights into their optimal design and operation. Results show that the power output of the WEC increases significantly with increasing wave height but decreases with increasing peak period. However, efficiency reduces as the wave height and peak period increase. At a wave height of 1 meter, the study recorded a maximum efficiency of approximately 16.4%, while at a peak period of 11 seconds, a maximum efficiency of about 21% was observed. The analysis revealed a bilinear behavior when comparing constant significant wave height and constant peak period, indicating that power output improves with lower peak periods and higher significant wave heights. The study’s findings provide valuable insights for optimizing the design and operation of point absorber WECs under different wave conditions, thus enhancing their performance and accelerating their deployment in the renewable energy market.