A new study linked to the SHY project explores how weather windows and time to repair can affect the availability of Wavepiston devices at two deployment sites in Gran Canaria.
The paper, Analysis of Weather Windows and Impacts of Time to Repair on Device Availability at Two Wavepiston Deployment Sites, analyses long-term metocean conditions to understand when offshore maintenance can be carried out safely and how delays in access may influence device downtime.
The study compares the current Wavepiston full-scale test site off the east coast of Gran Canaria, associated with PLOCAN, with a potential commercial site off the north coast of the island. Its findings show that accessibility is strongly influenced by sea state limits, required maintenance duration and daylight constraints, especially during winter months.
These results are highly relevant for SHY, as the project aims to improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of Wavepiston technology through advanced seawater hydraulic PTO components and smarter system operation. Better understanding of maintenance access and weather-related downtime helps support more realistic availability estimates and future deployment planning.
By addressing operational challenges alongside technology development, the study contributes to SHY’s broader objective of helping wave energy move closer to commercial viability.
Reference
Fitzgerald, C. J., Gelos, E. M., Schut, E. J., Thomsen, S. G., and Ringwood, J. V.
Analysis of Weather Windows and Impacts of Time to Repair on Device Availability at Two Wavepiston Deployment Sites
Read the full paper on Zenodo:
https://zenodo.org/records/18631737