Impact of Wave Forecasting Accuracy on Design and Power Predictions of a WEC Array

Spectral wave predictions at a potential Wave Energy Converter (WEC) lease area are often used to determine and design the placement of multiple WECs in arrays, and are critical for the operation of the array. However, errors in these wave predictions can be significant, propagating uncertainty into the design and operation of the array. The impact of the wave prediction accuracy on the power production from WECs is still an open research topic. This paper uses baseline wave spectra predictions at four different time periods and compares it to improved wave spectra predictions using data assimilation. The eight different wave spectra are then converted into wave forces and input into the WEC array model to analyze the effect the wave spectra predictions have on the sizing of the energy storage and the power delivered to the onshore electric grid.