Random Seas and Design of Maritime Structures

Considering that many types of energy resources in the world are limited, it is inevitable to focus on renewable energy sources to meet the needs of the world’s increasing population. Ocean energy is undoubtedly one of the most efficient resources among renewable energy sources in terms of its potential. There are many studies in the literature that have been conducted about energy conversion and which are guiding for further studies [1-6]. Ocean wave energy conversion modeling methods are principally based on the basic wave parameters with some additional concepts. Although some concepts have been developed so far, with the advancing technology, scientists have sought superior solutions. The methods to be used to analyze ocean wave energy are as significant as obtaining the ocean energy itself, especially in the big data era for electricity generation and grid connection purposes. The compressive sensing (CS) technique, which outperforms the classical techniques since it uses a smaller number of samples [7-8], is one of the algorithms that can be used for such purposes and found come applications in coastal and ocean engineering [9-11]. In this paper, we examine the utilization of the CS for the efficient analysis and assessment of ocean wave energy and ocean energy conversion in general. Constructing a time series of the wave power following [12-15], the application of the CS proves to be an advantageous tool for the measurement, analysis, and assessment of wave energy and ocean energy conversion. We discuss our findings and comment on their possible usage and applications. 1. Introduction The world population is increasing day by day and the global energy need is growing exponentially due to the needs of this increasing population [1]. Countries that have followed a fossil fuel-based energy consumption policy for years because they are easy and sometimes cheap, despite being harmful to the environment, have started to search for new types of energy since such fuels are not sustainable and new energy needs occur. The issue of energy generation from waves is not a new issue, as it was seen in some patents towards the end of the 18 th century [1]. However, modern studies on this subject started to gain importance with the oil crisis in the 70s, with people turning to renewable energy sources [1-6]. Studies on this subject leaped forward recently due to global climate change and increasing gases like carbon dioxide. Offering the highest energy density among renewable energy sources, having limited negative features compared to other sources during use, being compatible with the seasonal variation of wave energy and seasonal variation of electricity demand, and being able to travel long distances with very low energy loss are the biggest advantages of wave energy [1-6]. Since it is the largest and most efficient area where wave energy can be obtained, the oceans have naturally been the focus of studies on this subject. The literature on this subject is vast and the reader is referred to [1-6] and the references therein for a more comprehensive discussion of the subject. As can be understood from all these studies, the issue of wave energy conversion in the ocean is a must. Effective and fast energy conversion and their measurement and analysis are at least as important as the energy conversion itself. In this paper, we investigate the possible usage of the compressive sensing (CS) technique for the analysis and measurement of the time series of wave energy and power. Although