On the feasibility of energy-maximising controllers for an Argentinian wave energy system

Wave energy has attracted significant attention during the past decades worldwide, due to the significant amount of energy available in ocean waves. However, to date, wave energy systems have not reached commercial viability. As such, appropriate control system technology is considered a key driver to achieve commercialisation of wave energy converters (WECs). As of today, Argentina has not taken an active part in the discussion and development of suitable control techniques to harvest this energy resource, despite the geographic opportunities and the vast experience that Argentina has acquired and demonstrated in other non-carbon-based energy sources. In the light of this, we provide, in this paper, a feasibility assessment of three state-of-the-art control methodologies for wave energy harvesting systems, for a WEC prototype developed in Argentina. To this end, representative operating conditions, characteristic of the wave resource in the coastal area of Argentina, are considered. Finally, the performance of each controller is discussed, together with a set of conclusions and potential directions on the fundamental design of the WEC prototype from a control-oriented perspective.