Wave energy resource assessment with improved satellite altimetry data over the Malaysian coastal sea

This paper presents the assessment of wave energy resources over Malaysian seas using the improved satellite altimetry data. Instead of the standard altimetry data, the coastal altimetry products from Jason-2/PISTACH and AltiKa/PEACHI are considered to offer better estimation of significant wave height (SWH) over coastal oceans. In selecting the appropriate SWH, Jason-2/PISTACH from MLE4, Oce3 and Red3 retracking algorithms are examined, with respect to the limited data from Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler. The results in this study indicate that the Oce3 algorithm is the appropriate retracker. Unfortunately, it is only available for a Jason-2/PISTACH product, not for AltiKa/PEACHI. Therefore, this study uses the improved SWH from Red3 retracker, recorded as the second appropriate retracker, in the study of wave energy resource. The Malaysian sea is dominated by low SWH (0.5–1 m) and wave period (4–5.5 s). High wave energy during the strong monsoon season can be harvested, with wave energy during a northeast monsoon ranging from 8 to 20 kW/m, and between 4 and 5 kW/m during a southwest monsoon. Ten out of 14 zones are recorded as high energy zones, producing the energy storage more than 40 MW h/m. The Malaysian sea has a potential of continuous wave energy throughout the year from the variability of SWH exceeding the minimum requirement of SWH for several wave energy converters (e.g. C5 Wave Star) to be operated.