Nearshore wave energy converters comparison and Mediterranean small island grid integration

The aim of the paper is to preliminary analyse the performance of several nearshore Wave Energy Converters (WEC) sited in the west coast of Sicily close to the Favignana island's shorelines. In particular, the four WEC technologies that have been considered are Wave Star, Oyster, Wave Dragon and Archimedes Wave Swing. The power performance assessment has been developed through the comparison of various scaled versions of the WEC using a proved scaling process based on the Froude similitude. The best device for Favignana's wave climate has resulted to be the Wave Dragon with a rated power of 500 kW. Then, the evaluation of the Wave Dragon's effect on the off-grid system of Favignana has been analysed by means of the HOMER software. The current mix of production and the electric load of the island have been modelled on HOMER and the introduction of the Wave Dragon with and without a battery energy storage has been analysed. The obtained results underlined that high fuel savings and emission reductions can be achieved. The study has been carried out in the context of the PRISMI (Promoting RES Integration for Smart Mediterranean Islands) international project funded by the Interreg-MED EU programme.