Techno-Economic Optimization of SurgeWEC Device

During this project, we created a plant-level parametrically driven cost and economic model that allowed us to study key technical parameters of Resolute Marine Energy's wave-powered desalination system. The model was developed by leveraging previous design and cost assessment efforts at RME, organizing and normalizing data sets, and augmenting data and models where required.

Key parameters studied included WEC-level factors (such as PTO rating and WEC size) and plant-level considerations (such as distance to shore, mobilization distance, and financing assumptions). The key metric considered during this project was the levelized cost of water. Eleven sensitivity studies were carried out to help understand design drivers. Because many design considerations remain at an early stage of development where uncertainties can dominate outcomes, uncertainty levels were estimated at the sub-system level and evaluated in the global context using statistical methods.