On the spatial distribution of the wave energy resource in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands

The present article describes a numerical modeling study of the spatial distribution of the wave energy resource for Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). The study consists of an analysis of three years of output from the CARICOOS Nearshore Wave Model, an operational model based on the Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN) model. Using the wave model output, the wave power was computed and then averaged for a three year period from between January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015. Maximum values at nearshore areas range from 7 to 8 kW/m for those locations in Puerto Rico exposed to North Atlantic winter swells, particularly the region between the towns of Aguadilla and Fajardo. This region is likely the most viable location for wave power generation in the US Caribbean given the very narrow shelf and the proximity to some of the most important components of Puerto Rico's electric grid. Wave power extraction certainly presents an interesting possibility for the future, and the present study is a first step towards better understanding the feasibility of such projects for the PR/USVI archipelago.