Exploitation of wave energy potential in aegean sea: Greece

Abstract

In recent decades, renewable energy applications have gained significant market share in the global electricity generation sector and in covering the electricity needs of non-interconnected islands. Among the emerging renewable energy technologies, wave energy utilization is indisputably ranked among the energy sources that could resolve the controversial issue of energy demand coverage. Greece, located in the eastern Mediterranean region (with a special focus on the Aegean archipelago), has almost 16,000 km of coastline, so the exploitation of marine technologies could contribute to the power supply of most islands as well as of the mainland. In this study, an extensive evaluation of the expected wave power in the Aegean Sea is carried out, focusing on selected sea sites where wave buoys have been located. The basic wave parameters (e.g., significant wave height) along with the corresponding wave power are analyzed for selected regions. Taking into consideration the vast energy potential available in the sea as well as the fact that coastal areas can benefit greatly from the implementation of such energy solutions, the current study emphasizes both the northern and southern parts of the Aegean archipelago where many grid islands not connected to the mainland are dependent on conventional fuels and, more precisely, oil supplies to meet their urgent electricity needs. Based on the results of this survey, the future prospects of wave energy and the possible implementation of innovative marine technologies could be supported, providing the remote island communities of the Aegean Sea with clean electrical energy at a reasonable cost.