AN EVALUATION OF WAVE ENERGY GENERATION AND COST OF ENERGY IN THE BLACK SEA

Abstract

The performance of several axisymmetric wave energy converters is studied by evaluating the yearly energy capture and the expense of energy in two sites in the Black Sea. The added mass, hydrodynamic damping, and wave forces exerted on the floats are calculated by a 3D panel method based on potential flow theory. The oscillations of the floats are calculated in the time domain by employing a family of Runge-Kutta Methods at various levels of accuracy and the yearly energy generated is calculated by taking into account the occurrence of sea states in a year. The expense of energy captured by each wave energy converter is evaluated by calculating the Levelized Cost of Energy. The results show that the WECs with Berkeley Wedge-Shaped floats generate the maximum amount of energy in Sinop and Hopa. The most economical wave energy converters are those with a cone float and with a Berkeley Wedge-Shaped float in Sinop and Hopa, respectively.