Hybrid Solutions for Energy Extraction in Coastal Environment

Abstract: The higher requests concerning the large scale implementation of the renewable energy imposed by the EU directives implies a substantial enhancement of the renewable energy extraction all over Europe. Wind turbines entered in the last decades gradually in the common landscape and the success of the wind power industry renewed the interest in discovering what might work in the sea. On the other hand, it becomes quite obvious nowadays that wave power will play an important role in the global energy portfolio. Combined offshore wind-wave projects, also known as hybrids, hold great potential down the line when wave technologies will become more established. At that point, wave production might compensate for the intermittent offshore wind, while economies of scale developed from offshore wind could accelerate cost reduction for wave components. Despite a certain degree of uncertainty related to the variability in the wave-wind climate, improvements in the accuracy of evaluating the environmental data in coastal areas would also enhance the accuracy of the predictions that future energy convertors yield. Another important problem that arises together with the implementation of the energy farms in the coastal environment is related to the correct assessment of their impact on the littoral dynamics. From this perspective, the proposed work presents the main challenges related to the wave energy extraction in the nearshore. This includes also the identification of the best European locations from the point of view of the synergy between the wind and the wave power.