Wave Energy Potential in the Sea of Iroise

International audienceThe wave energy resource in coastal areas of the Sea of Iroise (western Europe) is evaluated with an unstructured version of the phase-averaged wave model SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) for a eight-year period between 2004 and 2011. Numerical predictions are calibrated and evaluated against available measurements of significant wave height and peak period at nine wave buoys in offshore and nearshore waters. In spite of strong energy dissipation in shallow water, up to 60 % of wave power, the medium-term evaluation of the resource reveals major coastal energetic patterns, between 20 and 35 kW m −1 , off the isles of Ushant and Sein and in the nearshore areas of the Crozon Peninsula, the bay of Audierne and the northern coastline. The variability of wave power production is estimated revealing, in accordance with previous numerical estimations over European shelf seas, significant inter-annual and inter-seasonal evolutions at the scale of the Sea of Iroise. Changes are particularly noticeable during the winter period with opposite situations in the distribution of monthly averaged wave energy flux. In the perspective of implementation of wave energy converters, the local distributions of energy flux against periods and directions are finally investigated in areas of maximum mean wave power. Index Terms—marine renewable energy, wave power, SWAN, unstructured grid, Brittany, western Europe