Modeling

Modeling is a widely applied technique used to simulate and reproduce the mechanisms of a particular system or device. Analytical models use solvable equations to describe systems while numerical models use some sort of numerical time-stepping procedure. Often a more cost-effective option than either laboratory or field testing of full scale and scale devices, modeling plays a key role in the investigation of marine renewable energy devices’ performance, hydrodynamics, and array effects. Moreover, models are often used to characterize the available wave/tidal energy resource at a particular site or to investigate the potential environmental impacts of devices.

Photo: Hydrokinetic Energy Corp