Active Phase Control for Maximum Power Point Tracking of a Linear Wave Generator

A novel maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method for a wave energy converter is proposed. The output power can be expressed as a product of excitation force and wave speed. Therefore, the condition for maximum extraction of wave energy is ensuring that excitation force is in phase with the velocity of the buoy. However, the phase between excitation force and velocity is determined by the wave period. In the ocean, a wave has an irregular period and amplitude of wave position. In this paper, the wave period was estimated using the velocity and acceleration information. Based on the estimated wave period, the novel MPPT algorithm is proposed. The benefit of the proposed method is that the additional configuration is not required. The proposed MPPT algorithm is presented in detail, in addition to simulation and laboratory test results.