Quantum mechanics

Voltage

Process (computing)

Engineering

Reliability engineering

Aerospace engineering

Statistics

Marine engineering

Control engineering

Computer security

Systems engineering

Energy (signal processing)

Operating system

Power (physics)

Computer science

Mathematical optimization

Mechanical engineering

Physics

Wave energy converter

Operations research

Mathematics

Hull

Work (physics)

Industrial engineering

Geometry

Converters

Electrical engineering

Key (lock)

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

Reducing the cost of energy of wave energy converters is key for the advancement of the technology. The costs associated with the device structure show the highest potential to achieve this reduction. For this reason, many hull geometry optimisation studies have been performed over the last 20 years, with the aim of finding improved hull shapes, that maximise the power generation and minimise the costs. These studies have been performed for different types of devices, applying a number of optimisation algorithms and representing power generation and costs with various strategies. The definition of the optimisation problem and the use of the most suitable strategies is key for a successful optimisation process, which will provide meaningful results and support device design at early development stages. This paper reviews all these different approaches, with a view to distilling the main findings and best practices; it then formulates recommendations based on these. The work is intended to serve as reference for any technology developer wishing to perform wave energy converter optimisation and for any funding body wanting to assess different device designs.

A review of geometry optimisation of wave energy converters