The spatial and temporal characteristics of the wave energy resources around Taiwan

Abstract

This study focused on the assessment of wave energy resources around the Taiwan sea area. The forecasted wave data of TaiCOMS, offered by Harbor and Marine Technology Center of Taiwan, records wave buoys deployed by the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan, and information on typhoons were used to analyze the temporal and spatial characteristics of wave power density in Taiwan's coastal area. In addition, the effects of monsoon and typhoon that contributed to the wave energy resource were investigated, and the average annual wave power around Taiwan was also estimated. The northeastern coastal area is the potential area for wave energy usage in Taiwan. The peak density of wave power occurs in autumn and winter for most of Taiwan's sea area, except for the southwestern coast, in which peak seasons occur in spring and summer. These results imply that the wave power in Taiwan's sea area is dominated by monsoons. However, because a typhoon usually generates substantial power, the annual wave energy may be affected by the quantity, path, and scale of a typhoon that hits Taiwan. In particular, the effects of typhoons on to the annual wave energy are crucial for the southwestern coastal area. Finally, for resources assessment, the average annual wave energy of coastal area surrounding Taiwan Island was estimated to an amount of approximately 16.9 TWh per year. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.