On the shoreline wave energy potential and its conversion in Morocco

The efficiency of a wave energy converter (WEC) device for wave energy conversion depends on many factors, among which the incident wave conditions. In this paper, the case of Moroccan Atlantic shoreline wave energy resource will be presented through the exploitation one year of data records in terms of wave height and period variations. It is found that with its 3 000km Atlantic coastline the global potential of offshore wave energy is nearly of 75 000MW which makes the country able to reinforce significantly its renewable energy resources. As a part of this work, the flow behavior inside the chamber of an oscillating water column (OWC) device has been analyzed by means of a numerical flow simulation code. The flow is set to be incompressible, three dimensional (3D), viscous and unsteady. The turbulence has been modeled with the classical (k-ε) turbulent model. Computations have been carried out on the geometry of Pico plant built in Azores. Local flow characteristics have been determined in order to obtain an accurate understanding of the flow behavior inside the chamber.