Project – Wave Energy Scotland Site Modelling – Alexandra Bulgakova (University of Edinburgh)
This project used publicly available GIS (Geographical Information System) data to identify future locations for wave energy convertor (WEC) deployments in Scotland, which can be used to support estimates of the size of the available market and the opportunities for future co-location with other sectors.
Most suitable deployment areas identified are within 250 km of at least one of the 11 largest ports in Scotland, and over 16,500km² of Scottish territorial waters may be suitable for co-location with offshore wind developers. The estimated annual wave energy generation in Scotland across all locations may be in excess of 35TWh.
The west coast of Scotland around The Minch and the Inner Hebrides are currently considered unsuitable for wave energy deployments, due to the heterogeneity of habitat resulting in a number of environmental protections. The homogeneity of seascape and reduced species richness on the east coast of Scotland suggests initial deployments may be more acceptable here while a greater body of environmental data is obtained on the impact of WECs.
Future work recommendations include obtaining greater resolution wave data with particular focus on the areas around the coastline; the addition of substrata data to site modelling; assessing environmental impact data in terms of individual WECs and WEC arrays; and collecting in-situ buoy data at chosen sites to improve site suitability for oceanographic aspects.
The author would like to thank the Scottish Alliance for Geosciences, Environment and Society (SAGES) for funding this placement with Wave Energy Scotland, and Matt Holland of Wave Energy Scotland for input and interpretation support.
2. Static_Site_Modelling_Report_2023
