WEC control co-design for mooring optimisation: A screening of programming languages and software tools

Abstract

Reducing dependence on fossil fuels for power generation is imperative to address the detrimental impacts of anthropogenic climate change. Renewable energy sources (RESs) serve as vital alternatives to fossil fuel-based generation. Among these RESs, wave energy presents substantial potential \cite{taveira2020marine} and offers complementary advantages \cite{said2023complementarity}. Nevertheless, wave energy has yet to achieve commercial viability, primarily due to its higher levelised cost of energy (LCoE) compared to more established RESs, such as wind and solar. In this context, leveraging control system technology is seen as a cost-effective strategy \cite{ringwood2023empowering} to reduce wave LCoE. 

Traditional \emph{sequential} mooring design for wave energy converters (WECs) does not include consideration of the WEC control system \cite{bergdahl2017mooring}. However, Paduano et al. \cite{paduano2023control} demonstrate that the WEC control system impacts mooring design parameters. Therefore, a control co-design (CCD) framework—enabling the concurrent design and control of dynamic systems—becomes essential for optimal mooring system design. CCD has been applied in wave energy literature to optimise various WEC components, including geometry \cite{gilloteaux2010control}, array layout \cite{garcia2015control}, and power take-off (PTO) systems \cite{pena2022control}. However, WEC mooring optimisation through CCD remains underexplored, largely due to the complex dynamics of mooring systems and the disparate software tools used for mooring analysis and control design. 

To this end, this paper surveys the software tools and programming languages required to implement a CCD approach for mooring optimisation. Specifically, this paper identifies the essential components of a CCD framework for mooring optimisation and evaluates relevant programming languages and software tools based on criteria such as ease of implementation, computational efficiency, and available technical support. The goal is to determine the optimal combination of tools to implement WEC CCD for mooring optimisation.