DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN OF THE WAVECAT™ ENERGY CONVERTER

Abstract

Wave energy is a promising energy resource in many coastal regions. Its harnessing poses a technological challenge, and a number of wave energy converters based on different principles are currently under development. WaveCat™ is a floating offshore converter based on the overtopping principle. This article presents its concept and development towards a precommercial prototype by means of physical and numerical modeling.