31.Renzi_et_al_ENERGIES_2021.pdf (5.39 MB)
Niche applications and flexible devices for wave energy conversion: A review
journal contribution
posted on 2021-10-14, 11:04 authored by Emiliano Renzi, Simone Michele, Siming Zheng, Siya Jin, Deborah GreavesWe review wave energy conversion technologies for niche applications, i.e., kilowatt-scale systems that allow for more agile design, faster deployment and easier operation than utility scale systems. The wave energy converters for niche markets analysed in this paper are classified into breakwater-integrated, hybrid, devices for special applications. We show that niche markets are emerging as a very vibrant landscape, with several such technologies having now achieved operational stage, and others undergoing full-scale sea trials. This review also includes flexible devices, which started as niche applications in the 1980s and are now close to commercial maturity. We discuss the strong potential of flexible devices in reducing costs and improving survivability and reliability of wave energy systems. Finally, we show that the use of WECs in niche applications is supporting the development of utility-scale projects by accumulating field experience, demonstrating success stories of grid integration and building confidence for stakeholders.
Funding
Royal Society—CNR International Fellowship, UK (Grant NF170771)
History
School
- Science
Department
- Mathematical Sciences
Published in
EnergiesVolume
14Issue
20Publisher
MDPI AGVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
Rights holder
© The authorsPublisher statement
This is an Open Access Article. It is published by MDPI under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Acceptance date
2021-10-03Publication date
2021-10-12Copyright date
2021eISSN
1996-1073Publisher version
Language
- en