ESTIMATION OF THE WAVE POWER POTENTIAL IN COASTAL REGIONS OF FLORIDA

Abstract

The state of Florida has an abundance of renewable energy resources. Florida sees sun in an average 60% of its available daylight hours, and has 8,436 miles of coastline, and thus solar and wave energy are two promising alternatives to more conventional energy sources. The Electric Power Research Institute estimates the wave power potential along the Gulf of Mexico coast and East coast of the United States as 60 TWh/year and 160 TWh/year, respectively. One TWh/year can power approximately 93,850 US homes annually, and thus it is likely that ocean wave energy has the potential to greatly contribute to the overall energy supply. This can be acheived by harnessing and converting wave energy into electricity using wave energy conversion devices. However, the feasibility of wave energy conversion must be assessed before such technologies can be employed. As a first step, the amount of available wave power in regions where devices may be deployed should be estimated. In this study, we assess the wave power potential of Florida's nearshore coastal regions.