Design of breakwater for conversion of wave energy into electrical energy

Some recent papers have dealt with the physics and expected performances of caisson breakwaters embodying a U-OWC: seawater flows in and out of these plants through a relatively small opening at the top of a vertical duct instead of entering through a large opening in a vertical wall, as in some conventional OWCs. Designing this and other wave energy converters is difficult for the simple reason that experience gained from similar plants built in the past cannot be exploited. Hence, there must be attempts to foresee the main phenomena that may occur in the plant's lifetime, which is the first aim of this paper. The second aim is to suggest a holistic overview of the design of these converters. This means looking at the plant as a whole and considering all of the following aspects together: safety, performances (absorption of wave energy, production of electric power), extreme loads on the various walls, overall stability.

► Loads, safety and overall stability under actions of severe storms.
► Production of electrical energy with wind waves and swell.
► Suggestions for design of Mediterranean prototypes.
► Suggestions for design of prototypes for Atlantic coasts.