• Energy Research

Current advances in wave energy technologies have enabled the development of new integrated measurement platforms powered by the energy of wave motion. Instrumentation is now being deployed for the long-term observation of the coastal ocean, with the objectives of analyzing the performance of wave energy converters (WECs) and studying their interactions with the surrounding environment and marine life. In this work, we present the most relevant findings of the installation and initial operation of the Open Sea Lab (OSL), the first coastal observatory in Latin America powered entirely by a WEC device. We evaluated the preliminary data regarding the combined operation of the system, the generation of energy, and the observations obtained by the continuous monitoring of physical variables at the site. The data showed the seasonal variability of the energy produced by the WEC for a range of wave heights during the period of observation. We also investigated the rapid development of biofouling on mooring lines, junction boxes, and other parts of the system, which is characteristic of the settlement and growth of organisms in this ocean region. These analyses show how this new facility will advance our understanding of the coastal environment in the south Pacific Ocean and foster new interdisciplinary collaborations addressing environmental and technical challenges, thereby contributing to the development of wave energy on the continent.

Alternative wave transfer methodologies from deep to shallow water that aim at reducing the computational time in cases where the full propagation of a large number of wave climates is often prohibitive are defined and tested against full spectral propagation using complex measured wave climates. A proposed method is presented in this work which is able to accurately reproduce the shape transformation of directional spectra while significantly reducing the computational time. Another transfer method is also validated, which can achieve relatively good results when there is no spectral information and only statistical wave parameters (e.g. significant wave height, peak period and mean wave direction) are available. Finally, an application of the proposed method in the framework of energy resource quantification in Chile is presented.

Abstract Chacao Channel is an energetic tidal channel located at the northernmost part of the Chilean Patagonia. The channel has been previously identified as a prospective site for tidal energy extraction, however there has been only a limited understanding of the tidal flows. A new set of field measurements distributed along Chacao Channel is presented here for tidal energy resource characterization, including tidal elevations, tidal currents (in space and time), and turbulence. The field data also are used to calibrate and validate a FVCOM hydrodynamic numerical model of the entire channel, which is then used for tidal energy resource assessment. Field measurements indicate that tidal elevation range increases eastward along the channel, that tidal currents exceed 4 ms - 1 at some points within the channel, and that turbulence intensity ranges between 5 and 20 % . The data and numerical model results are used to estimate the kinetic power density of the tidal currents at Chacao Channel, which is in average 5 kWm - 2 .