TY - CONF
TI - The power of wave energy converters arrays to mitigate coastal erosion 
AU - Berrio, Y
AU - Rivillas-Ospina, G
AU - Arango-Manrique, A
AU - Garces, S
AU - Ochoa, I
AU - Baró, L
T2 - Pan American Marine Energy Conference (PAMEC 2024)
AB - In recent decades, energy demands has increased considerably. According to the International Energy Agency, global energy demand is expected to grow by 2.1% per year between 2021 and 2026 [1]. However,  only 28% of the global energy matrix comes from renewable resources [2] [3]. This scenario shows that, we are heavily reliant on fossil fuels which are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. We need to make a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources in order to achieve a sustainable development that requires an actualization of our models of governance and different methods of energy production.While numerous governments are currently engaged in research and development initiatives on alternative energy sources, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of global replication of these efforts [4] [5] [6] [7]. The utilisation of marine energy derived from wind farms, tidal currents, and wave converters holds great potential in addressing the gaps within the global power generation supply [8] [9] [10].  Wave energy converter (WEC) are devices that convert the energy in the waves into electricity. WECs can be deployed in arrays or wave farms to increase the range of wave reception and optimize the use of materials such as submarine cables to transmit the generated electricity to land. WECs have been tested on the coast of many countries, such as the UK [11]; Portugal [12]; China [13]; Italy [14]; Japan [15]; USA [16]; Spain [17]. However, data regarding their impact on the environment is still scarce. One of the main coastal features that is exposed to impact by WECs is the nearshore bathymetry [18].There are several works regarding the effects of WECs on sediment transport and beach morphology, [19] [20] [21] [22] some experimental [23], [24]. In [25] the performance of different WEC arrays is discussed, along with their effects on coastal erosion due to the cumulative forces of waves, currents, and tides.The variety of WEC configurations and arrays has been the object of study [26], since the sets configurations and the distance between the WECs directly influence the energy production due to the reflection and refraction processes generated by the devices. An optimal layout is chosen to establish a WEC matrix to maximize power conversion and offer the opportunity for infrastructure to protect the coast and generate power from clean, sustainable sources.The present research focuses on determining the beach response to the hypothetical placement of a WEC array off the coast at Riohacha, in northern Colombia, by computing the modified wave field produced. For this, the wave module of the Delft-3D model was tuned to estimate the extraction and transmission of wave energy by each WEC. Then, the XBeach model was used to calculate the nearshore wave field and the evolution of the coastline.View the Conference Paper here.View the Presentation Slides here.
DA - 2024/02//
PY - 2024
UR - https://pamec.energy/events/pamec2024/conference-program/
LA - English
KW - Marine Energy
KW - Wave
KW - Changes in Flow
KW - Physical Environment
KW - Sediment Transport
ER -