WaveFarmer and TidalFarmer marine planning software tools allow users to model wave and tidal energy converters when operating in ‘farms’ of multiple devices.

Both tools are designed to accurately calculate annual ‘farm’ energy yield, whilst considering the hydrodynamic effects between devices, therefore reducing the uncertainty associated with project return on investment. The tools also serve as a platform from which to plan and analyse a range of other critical aspects of marine energy farms.

WaveFarmer and TidalFarmer are the outcomes of the Energy Technologies Institute’s (ETI) ground-breaking £8m PerAWaT (Performance Assessment of Wave and Tidal Array systems) research and development project. Led by DNV GL, the project has established, verified, validated and independently tested a suite of numerical tools for analysing wave and tidal energy arrays.

February 27, 2014; Image: DNV GL