Abstract
The vast energy found in the ocean can be captured and converted to electricity using wave energy converters (WECs). For that purpose, different designs of WECs have been manufactured and tested offshore globally, despite the high installation, maintenance, and decommissioning costs. However, one of the important factors hindering the wide development of WECs is the high cost of the device installation and maintenance, as well as the time these procedures consume and the safety risks they entail. The deployment of the mooring/anchoring and the connection points play a vital role in the expenses and the safety of the overall offshore installation, in addition to the viability of the device itself. This paper sums up the point absorber WECs that have passed the testing phase and the mooring types suitable for point absorbers. The mooring systems set-up procedure, technical aspects, and considerations with regards to their phase (design, materials selection, pre-lay, connection to the device(s), maintenance) are presented. Moreover, the challenges concerning the moorings and their parts are introduced. The moorings monitoring and inspection methods, as well as their decommissioning, and subsequent environmental impacts are discussed. Indicative mooring costs are presented. The installation of the moorings is affected by numerous parameters such as the onshore logistics, the deployment area depth and distance from shore, the vessel adequacy and availability, the single or mass WEC deployment.