Numerical Assessment on Wave Energy Resources in Coastal Waters of Northeastern Taiwan

To assess wave power resources at a marine energy test site in Keelung coastal waters, the SWAN (Simulating WAve Nearshore) model [1; 2] is applied to obtain wave conditions for assessing the wave energy resources. The ocean surface wind velocity by CCMP (Cross-Calibrated Mutli-Platform) is first adopted in SWAN model simulation. Comparisons with field measurements of AWCP (Acoustic Water Column Profiler) station in Port of Keelung and of ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) station offshore NTOU (National Taiwan Ocean University) during periods form Jul 1st to Dec 31st of 2010, show that simulated significant wave heights agree well with measured values except in periods of typhoons and strong northeastern monsoons. However, the simulated peak periods are generally underestimated than the measurements. The same results can also be seen in simulated wave energies. The resulting simulated wave energies agree with measurements better at NTOU test site than at Keelung station.Copyright © 2014 by ASME