Development and Performance Analysis of a Small-Scale On-shore Wave Energy Converter

Many renewable energy sources are being exploited at a higher rate due to the increasing demand for cleaner and cheaper energy. However, sea wave energy extraction remains one of the least-developed renewable energy sources despite its high energy density and availability compared to many other renewable energy sources. Accordingly, this work aimed to develop a small-scale sea wave energy converter (WEC) to be deployed in a non-shore configuration for power generation. A device was designed to extract both the kinetic and potential energies from sea waves aiming for higher overall energy extraction efficiency. It is composed of a set of flaps and a floater, which are rigidly connected to a frame allowing them to interact with incoming waves. Following the concept, a small-scale model with 35 W capacity was fabricated and tested in a coastal location near Galle, Sri Lanka, having waves of approximately 1 m wave height and a 20 s wave period. It was observed that the device could extract power continuously, yielding an average power output of 1.45 W and an overall efficiency of 4.143%. Wave irregularities, sand particle interaction, and frictional losses in mechanism were observed to be hindering the performance of the convertor, which need to be addressed in the future.