Computational Science and Its Applications -- ICCSA 2015

Abstract

GIS technologies are able to provide useful tools for estimating the energy resource from the sea waves, assessing whether this energy is exploitable and evaluating possible environmental impacts. The idea to convert the energy associated with the marine wave motion (both off-shore and coastal) into exploitable electrical energy is not new and over time several projects have been developed, aiming at the implementation of devices for electrical energy generation from the sea. However, compared to other well-established renewable sources (such as wind, solar or biomass), the exploitation of the tidal power, is currently only in prototype form. Nevertheless, it has shown very promising potentiality, as also emerges from the activities currently carried-out by public institutions and private stakeholders. This paper describes an approach, based on Geomatics, developed to assess the marine energy resource, evaluating if it is possible to exploit such resource and estimating also environmental and socio-economic impacts in blue water and/or in the seaboard. In this framework, a DSS-WebGIS application has been developed (called “Waves Energy”), as tool for displaying and sharing geospatial data and maps related to the potential use of energy from the sea, as well as a valuable support for new installations planning, forecasting systems and existing infrastructure management.