Wave-to-Wire Simulation of Hydraulic Wave Energy Converter Available to Purchase

This paper introduces the simulation of a wave-to-wire (W2W) wave energy converter (WEC) design that includes the complete system from the original wave capture device to the final generated electricity supplied to the grid. Instead of designing the sub-systems separately, this holistic approach allows the optimization of the WEC performance. The Energy Capture Device (ECD), the absorption stage, is based on heaving theory, namely a point absorber. The Power Take-Off (PTO) system, the transmission stage, is based upon a hydrostatic transmission. Lastly the WIRE side, the generation stage, is achieved by connecting a three-phase round-rotor synchronous generator driven by the hydraulic motor from the PTO system. The control strategy primarily aims to meet the criteria of the grid while extracting as much energy from the waves as possible.