Wave Energy Assessment in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea Based on a 40-Year Hindcast

Abstract

A wave hindcast, covering the period of 1979–2018, was preformed to assess wave energy potential in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea. The hindcase was carried out using the third generation wave model TOMAWAC with high spatio-temporal resolution (about 1 km and on an hourly basis). Results show that the mean values of significant wave height increase from north to south, and the maximum values are located at the south part of the Yellow Sea with amplitude within 1.6 m. The magnitudes of significant wave height values vary significantly within seasons; they are at a maximum in winter. The wave energy potential was represented by distributions of the wave power flux. The largest values appear in the southeast part of the numerical domain with wave power flux values of 8 kW/m. The wave power flux values are less than 2 kW/m in the Bohai Sea and nearshore areas of the Yellow Sea. The seasonal mean wave power flux was found up to 8 kW/m in the winter and autumn. To investigate the exploitable wave energy, a wave energy event was defined based on the significant wave height (Hs) threshold values of 0.5 m. The wave energy in south part of the Yellow Sea is more steady and intensive than in the other areas. Wave energy in winter is more suitable for harvesting wave energy. Long-term trends of wave power availability suggest that the values of wave power slightly decreased in the 1990s, whereas they have been increasing since 2006.