Control Review Lectures on Wave Energy

this manuscript describes in a didactic manner the methodology, development, implementation and evaluation of different control strategies to maximize the energy obtained from wave energy converter (WEC) devices. Having this aim in mind, a power take off (PTO) system with different control strategies will be presented. The chosen take off system is an oscillating water column converter (OWC), a device that uses a Wells air turbine as the primary energy converter with a Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) as the secondary. The Wells turbine contributes to the robustness of the system because it requires no additional parts to produce unidirectional rotation from the reversing oscillating flow, while the DFIG offers the best capabilities when operating in both sub- and super-synchronous modes. The proposed scheme is based on the NEREIDA MOWC demonstration project, a breakwater wave plant located in the Basque location of Mutriku. This material and teaching experience corresponds to a Master in Control at the Engineering Faculty of the Basque Country University.