W2W Top Trumps

 

W2W power flow starts getting interesting when applied to specific examples of WEC. I've chosen historical examples to avoid looking like I'm giving investment advice!  We're going to play 'Top Trumps' with three very different devices: the Wave Star arm (above), Pelamis, and the LIMPET OWC.  I learnt new and surprising things while preparing this blog post. At the end I compare the electrical generators and show how 'electrical power' is very different for these three devices.

 

Introducing W2W power flow diagrams

 

Wave to wire (W2W) power flow diagrams are interesting because they: 

• Provide a level playing field for comparing wave energy converters (WECs).
• Describe the physics of the power capture mechanism.
• Make it clear what subset of the process is being modelled, which is useful for model design and interpretation of results. This gives insights into important work such as the US Wave Energy Prize and WECCCOMP.
• Highlight challenges specific to wave energy, which can inform design.