Abstract
The paper presents the preliminary design and modelling of a point absorber wave energy converter consisting of a floating buoy connected to a tubular linear generator fixed at the seabed. The behaviour of the device is described by the equation of motion of a single body system restricted to vertical motion. The model of the coupled buoy-generator system is used to simulate the behaviour of the wave energy converter under regular waves of different heights and periods. Then the electricity production of an hypothetical installation off the Alghero coast is estimated. The results show that the device capacity factor at the study site is around 15%. This is a very promising value considering that the studied device has not been specifically optimized for the Alghero wave climate. The work suggests that the presented technology could be very attractive for the Italian offshore.