Analysis of Wave Energy Resources Around the Saint Martin Island in Bangladesh

Abstract

Saint Martin Island is the only coral island and one of the well-known tourist spots in Bangladesh. Because of its geographic location, electricity cannot be supplied from the mainland through the electricity grid. Diesel generators and solar power are the only means of electricity generation presently available there. Surrounded by the sea, Saint Martin Island has the ideal conditions for wave energy extraction. In this research, numerical models have been developed using the Delft3D simulation software to determine the wave characteristics of different locations around Saint Martin Island. The results have been calibrated and validated against the data obtained from well-known data sources. The wave power densities have been calculated using the data obtained from the simulation models. The findings of the research show that the wave power density increases significantly from shallow water to deep water and a large amount of wave energy can be extracted during the summer and rainy monsoon seasons. The maximum hourly average value of wave power in 2016 has been determined to be 6.90 kW/m at location with a water depth of 27.80 m. Wave energy resources are also observed to be sufficiently stable with the coefficients of variation of wave power density less than 0.62, except for December, January, and May of that particular year. Moreover, the annual effective energies have been determined to be within the range of 36.57 to 57.28 MWh/m, which will be sufficient to meet the electricity requirement of the island communities.

Keywords

Renewable energy / Ocean waves / Saint Martin Island / Delft3D / Wave power density / Stability