A tool for combined WEC-site selection throughout a coastal region: Rias Baixas, NW Spain

The selection of the appropriate wave energy converter (WEC) and site is the basis for the installation of a wave farm in a region. For this purpose, the estimation of the energy that any WEC would produce at any location of interest is fundamental. Despite all its importance, this information or the elements required for obtaining it are currently available only at specific coastal locations or areas of interest. This work develops a tool for computing the energy that any WEC would generate at any coastal location within the Rias Baixas Region (NW Spain). With this aim, a methodology which allows the consideration of almost all the total energy available is used to characterize the coastal resource with a high spatial resolution. Then, a matlab-based application called WEDGE (Wave Energy Diagram GEnerator) is implemented for easy access to the stored data and automatic reconstruction of the resource at any coastal site in terms of a high-resolution characterization matrix (or energy diagram). As a result, the information required for accurate energy production computation throughout the region is available whereby a combined WEC-site selection can be conducted. Finally, the tool is used to compute the energy production of a total of 23 WEC-site combinations in an area within this region where a wave farm has been recently proposed. The results will underline the importance of a combined WEC-site selection for proper decision-making regarding wave energy exploitation.