Renewable Energy and Optimization-Based Control [About This Issue]

The first feature article, “Energy-Maximizing Control of Wave-Energy Converters,” by John V. Ringwood, Giorgio Bacelli, and Francesco Fusco provides an overview of the motivation, background to, and state of the art in energy-maximizing control of wave energy devices. The underpinning mathematical modeling is described and the control fundamentals established. Two example control schemes are presented, which include an optimization-based control algorithm. The article also presents some algorithms for wave forecasting, which can be a necessary requirement, due to the acausal nature of some optimal control strategies. One of the control schemes is extended to show how cooperative control of devices in a wave farm can be beneficial. The article also includes perspectives on the interaction between control and the broader objectives of optimal wave-energy device geometry and full technoeconomic optimization of wave-energy converters.