Wave energy resources assessment for the multi-modal sea state of Hawaii

Journal Article · Mon Aug 02 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Renewable Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.03.116· OSTI ID:1810554

Li, Ning ^[1]; Garcia Medina, Gabriel  ^[2]; Cheung, Kwok F. ^[1]; Yang, Zhaoqing  ^[2]

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1. University of Hawaii at Manoa
2. BATTELLE (PACIFIC NW LAB)

This paper describes development and validation of a 32-year wave hindcast for Hawaii as part of the wave energy resources assessment for the Exclusive Economic Zones of the US and affiliated territories. The nested model system comprises structured WAVEWATCH III models for the entire globe and the Central North Pacific as well as an unstructured SWAN model around the Hawaiian Islands with wind forcing from the Global Forecast System Reanalysis and its regional downscaling. The development effort follows the standards introduced by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The hindcast dataset was firstly validated with buoy measurements in terms of the six IEC wave energy resources parameters including the omnidirectional wave power ????, significant wave height ????????0, energy period ????????, spectral width ????0, direction of maximum directionally resolved wave power ?????????? ????????, and directionality coefficient ????. The comparison shows good overall agreement but with greater uncertainties for the spectral parameters ????0, ???????????????????? , and ???? formulated for narrow band spectra. The multimodal sea state in Hawaii always includes a mix of short-period wind seas, long-period swells from the North and South Pacific as well as waves with moderate periods from multiple sources. We partition the hindcast spectra based on the respective period ranges and directions and validate the partitioned spectral energy and parameters with measured values for implementation in wave energy resources assessment. The partitioned wave parameters from the hindcast allow separate seasonal descriptions of wind seas, north and south swells, and moderate-period waves for in-depth understanding of the wave climate and resources in Hawaii.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1810554
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-158387
• Journal Information: Renewable Energy, Vol. 174
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English