Project FOREWAVE aims at developing a set of methodologies to provide high quality inputs for several types of control techniques. These methodologies will be based on the device motions and states alone. Providing better methodologies to generate the inputs required by all type of control methodology will benefit the WEC industry as a whole.
For most WECs, control laws parameters can be mapped with respect to the average incident sea state (HS, TE, others), therefore a reliable real‐time sea state estimation with no need to rely on external wave measurement or forecast will be beneficial for all WECs. Such methodology will also be able to integrate into the estimation the reflection of waves in array deployment. Additionally, WEC performance could be greatly enhanced if short term wave force were available, by applying several control techniques needing this input (e.g. optimal control, latching control, MPC, others).
The project is divided in two main parts, the first addresses sea state estimation, by linking the device motion parameters to the sea main parameters, whereas the second part focusses more on the estimation and prediction of wave forces via real time dynamical modelling.
Benefits expected from such techniques regard mainly WEC developers, that will be able to obtain the present wave state as an input for their device and reduce therefore the WEC development cost. Additionally, by obtaining the wave force prediction it will be possible to implement a series of high performance control logics maximizing the energy yield of the WEC single device and farm.

Project Keywords: Array, Modelling, Control Systems, Real-time, Sea state, Stage 1