Comparing wave power from a Northern and a Southern site

Abstract

Instantaneous wave power at a single site varies considerably with time. Combining the power outputs from two distant sites could be a way of reducing the variation in instantaneous power output. Wave data from Boyle, about 100 miles south of Ireland, and for Fitzroy, about 50 miles west of Shetland, were examined with a view to discovering what advantages might be gained by mixing power outputs from these two sites.

Two sizes of duck were chosen for each site and power exceedance curves were plotted for these, as well as for the available power (Figs. 4-9). To examine the effect of mixing power outputs from the two sites, the powers were scaled so that the mean over the season being considered was the same for each site. This is equivalent to considering power stations of the same average output at both Boyle and Fitzroy.