OPERA releases wave of data for Bimep site

The EU-funded OPERA project has published wave resource data collected at Marmok-A5 wave energy device’s demonstration site at the Biscay Marine Energy Platform (Bimep).

The data, obtained through the TRIAXYS buoy from the Canadian manufacturer AXYS Technologies, spans from the buoy’s deployment date in December 2016 until October 2017, according to Tecnalia, a member of the consortium behind the OPERA project.

The wave sensor is located at 87 meters water depth, 300 meters up-wave from the Oceantec Marine Energy’s Marmok-A5 wave energy converter.

Statistical wave data are calculated from 20-minute time series, allowing 3 measurements per hour, according to Tecnalia.

A wave analysis is run directly on the TRIAXYS sensor, providing zero-crossing statistics, spectral statistics and both directional and non-directional wave spectra from the measurements acquired from the wave conditions.

The software used onboard the TRIAXYS sensor includes a motion analysis algorithm to analyses the measured data from the accelerometers, rate gyros, and the compass, and an algorithm to resolve the directional and non-directional spectra of sea state from the previously analyzed data.

The collected data is now free for download through ZENODO research data repository.

The instrument was deployed to characterize individual waves and wave groups and better assess the performance characteristics of Marmok-A5 device, OPERA informed earlier.

Marmok-A5, a floating oscillating water column type of wave energy device, was deployed at Bimep site, located off the north coast of Spain, in mid-October last year as part of the OPERA project.

Project OPERA (Open Sea Wave Operating Experience to Reduce Energy Cost) involves the consortium of 12 members working together to halve the cost of wave energy.