Port Fairy Wave Power Resource Analysis

Client: BioPower Systems Pty Ltd
Year: 2011
Project Reference: 2011027
WRL Technical Reports: Port Fairy Wave Power Resource Analysis (2011/27)

Concept of BPS bioWAVE^TMdevice; Location of the BPS Port Fairy Pilot Site

The availability of reliable wave data and wave power levels is of critical importance for the successful planning of wave energy conversion projects. To undertake an assessment of the wave energy climate at a pilot project site on the southern coast of Victoria, BioPower Systems Pty Ltd (BPS) engaged the Water Research Laboratory. BPS is currently in the pre-development phase at the coastal site near Port Fairy, with the project planned to commence with installation and grid-connection of a 250kW bioWAVE^TMwave energy conversion device.

WRL provided BPS with reliable wave data by performing a combined analysis of directional wave data from an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) deployed for 8 months at the project site, and long-term offshore statistics (14 years) from the deep water, numerical wave model Wave Watch III (NOAA NWW3).

By developing wave transformation functions relating offshore waves (H_s, T_p and peak direction) from Wave Watch III to the measured nearshore waves by the ADCP, WRL was able to extend the 8 months of measured nearshore waves at the proposed site to 14 years. This allowed WRL to develop reliable matrix tables of the occurrence of wave height (H_s) and period (T_e and T_z) and estimate monthly average wave energy at the proposed site.

The Port Fairy site was found to have a high potential for wave energy conversion projects, with an average yearly wave power in the 30kW/m region, minor to moderate inter and intra-annual variability in height, and minor variability in period and direction.

Scatter table of wave height Hs and energy period Te, August (%)