eWave 2.0: Validación experimental de una estrategia de control óptimo para un sistema de conversión de la energía de las olas para maximizar el aprovechamiento de la energía oceánica

The oceans contain a large amount of energy that we have not yet harnessed. Ocean energy, present in
waves, tides, and ocean currents, is clean, renewable, dense, and abundant on our planet. Its exploitation
could help us achieve objectives of great importance for humanity, such as "Net zero by 2050" and the
replacement of conventional energy sources with clean and renewable sources which could help us to slow
down global warming. However, the high cost of extracting ocean energy (four times that of wind or solar
energy) has caused the slow adoption of this technology worldwide.
Recent studies indicate that a comprehensive improvement of ocean energy converter systems must be
carried out, considering aspects such as optimization of control to maximize usable energy, improvement in
the power take-off of these systems and reduction of manufacturing, installation, and maintenance costs.
Several control models have been proposed to maximize the efficiency of these systems; however, the vast
majority have been validated only through numerical simulations. This causes that many real physical aspects,
such as friction, system non-linearity and/or viscous losses, are not reflected in the models, causing a deviation
between what is simulated and what occurs in the real physical system.
This research project addresses this problem, because its main objective is the experimental validation the
optimal control strategy Real time iteration-nonlinear model predictive control (RTI-NMPC) to maximize the
efficiency of a wave energy converter system. This control strategy was developed by one of the authors of
this proposal (Prof. Juan Guerrero) and has shown, in numerical simulations, to be superior to other control
strategies currently used for wave systems. If it works in practice, this control strategy could significantly
increase the efficiency of wave systems and thus contribute to reducing the cost of harnessing ocean energy.
This project will be developed at the School of Electromechanical Engineering, which has an experimentation
platform for wave energy converter systems with the capacity to generate artificial waves under controlled
conditions and will have the collaboration of the Center for Ocean Energy Research (COER) of the University
of Maynooth in Ireland, and the Laboratory of Maritime Engineering of Rivers and Estuaries (IMARES) of the
University of Costa Rica. The project is divided into four stages: 1) conditioning of experimental platforms, 2)
simulations of control strategies, 3) experimental validation of the optimal control model RTI-NMPC, and 4)
dissemination of results.
This project is pertinent since it responds to the objectives of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology Strategic
Plan, the VII Plan Nacional de Energy 2015-2030 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Furthermore, it is novel since the experimental validation results produced here are not yet found in the
scientific literature. Therefore, the potential of this research is of national and international relevance.

Validar de forma experimental de un sistema de control óptimo para un sistema de conversión de energía de las olas para maximizar el aprovechamiento
de la energía oceánica eléctrica.

1. Sistemas Energéticos
2. Sistemas microelectromecánicos