Parameter Optimization in Wave Energy Design by a Genetic Algorithm

Wave energy conversion is one of the promising renewable energy technologies that is now facing the challenging steps towards early commercialization. Many of the technologies developed consist of small devices that are designed to be deployed in large parks of many units to produce a considerable amount of power. The wave energy converter (WEC) developed at Uppsala University belongs to this group of technologies; it consists of a floating buoy connected to a linear direct-driven permanent magnet generator on the seabed (Leijon M. et al., 2009). When deployed, the devices interact with each other, both hydrodynamically by scattered and radiated waves, and electrically, leading to an increase or decrease of the power production depending on many parameters such as park layout, number of devices, separating distance, wave direction, etc. This paper focuses on the development and implementation of a tool able to optimize some of the principal parameters (buoy’s radius, buoy’s draft and damping coefficient of the generator) of a single point absorber WEC using a genetic algorithm (GA). After validation of the method against parameter sweep (PS), the tool has been improved to optimize the spatial layout of a park of WECs. Research in wave energy park optimization by means of a genetic algorithm has been carried out by Child B.F.M. & Venugopal V. (2010), Child B.F.M. et al. (2011) and Sharp C. & DuPont B. (2016). Child B.F.M. & Venugopal V. (2010) used parabolic intersection and genetic algorithm with different kind of tuning of the devices and optimized the spatial configuration of 5 identical devices upon power output of the array; Sharp C. & DuPont B. created a model to determine array configurations and included both power output and costs in the evaluation function, both with binary and continuous GA. Child B.F.M. et al. (2011) included optimization of power take off characteristics given a fixed layout and optimization of array layout of 10 identical WECs, given fixed power take off coefficients.