Control techinques for the ISWEC - Inertial Sea Wave Energy Converter

In wave energy field many problems have still to be solved in order to make the technologies reliable and economically sustainable. One of the most strategic challenges is to develop suitable control techniques maximizing the energy conversion and allowing Wave Energy Converters to work under a large variety of sea conditions. The ISWEC power extraction is governed by a gyroscopic group which in turn may be controlled by an electric PTO. In this work different control techniques are developed for this device, and in particular an optimal control strategy. Taking into account the dynamics of the floater, this technique results in a maximum power transfer from the waves to the hull. The floater motion is regulated by means of the reacting forces discharged from the gyro, which are modeled according to the sea state.