Downsizing the Linear PM Generator in Wave Energy Conversion for Improved Economic Feasibility

A crucial part of wave energy converters (WECs) is the power take-off (PTO) mechanism, and PTO sizing has been shown to have a considerable impact on the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). However, as a dominating type of PTO system in WECs, previous research pertinent to PTO sizing did not take modeling and optimization of the linear permanent magnet (PM) generator into consideration. To fill this gap, this paper provides an insight into how PTO sizing affects the performance of linear permanent magnet (PM) generators, and further the techno-economic performance of WECs. To thoroughly reveal the power production of the WEC, both hydrodynamic modeling and generator modeling are incorporated. In addition, three different methods for sizing the linear generator are applied and compared. The effect of the selection of the sizing method on the techno-economic performance of the WEC is identified. Furthermore, to realistically reflect the relevance of PTO sizing, wave resources from three European sea sites are considered in the techno-economic analysis. The dependence of PTO sizing on wave resources is demonstrated.