The co-location of wind and wave energy at multiple global sites

The variability of wind energy necessitates continued reliance on fossil fuel power sources as baseload, hindering the integration of renewable energy. This study proposes co-locating Wave Energy Converters (WECs) with Offshore Wind Turbines (OWTs) to partly mitigate these issues, adopting a ‘topping-up’ strategy, integrating WEC capacity into existing OWT arrays. Using the ERA5 global reanalysis dataset, global wind and wave resources, their correlation and various other metrics were calculated. Four regions – Western Australia, Brazil, Pacific coast USA, and Portugal – were chosen for co-location based on their favourable conditions. Applying theoretical resources to four WEC technologies and a 15 MW reference OWT, a sensitivity analysis was conducted across the study sites, considering downtime, normalised power output, and variability. Australia demonstrated enhanced power stability (27.2% less variability) when WECs were applied. Brazil demonstrated significant improvement (26.3% less variability), with USA and Portugal also displaying performance enhancement (21.72% and 16.32%, respectively, less variability). Southern Hemisphere sites benefit from seasonal offset peaks in resource phase, reducing overall variability. Swell-driven wave climates contribute to smoother combined power output due to phase delays between resources. This study serves as a global co-location framework, facilitated by the ERA5 dataset, allowing replication for diverse locations worldwide.