Grid integration aspects of wave energy—Overview and perspectives

Abstract The sustained development of wave energy in the past two decades makes it one of the most promising renewable energy resources to be added to the diverse mixture of supply systems. The inherent difficulty of grid integration of wave energy involves various aspects such as suitable control of power converters and power conditioning processes, allowing for the extraction of the best quality power. This paper presents a comprehensive review of different aspects of grid integration of wave energy devices, including classification of wave energy devices based on their impacts on grid integration, grid requirements imposed by the grid codes and storage technologies used for the grid integration of wave energy converters (WECs). This study also analyses various grid integration studies on wave energy converters, with particular emphasis on power converter technology and control. Furthermore, specific attention is given to the combinational studies that use wave energy combined with other renewable resources due to their positive synergies in lowering the costs of energy produced and that hold an opportunity for future research. An economic case is presented for wave energy devices based on value on the grid.