WEC-Sim (Wave Energy Converter Simulator)

저자 Mike Croucher, December 11, 2025

30 회 조회 (최근 30일) | 0 좋아요 | 0 댓글

George's pick of the week is WEC-Sim (Wave Energy Converter Simulator) by Sandia National Laboratories and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

WEC-Sim (Wave Energy Converter Simulator) is a simulation tool for modelling wave energy converters and offshore systems under realistic wave loading.  It is designed specifically for wave-structure interaction and represents devices as interconnected bodies, joints, power-take-off systems, and moorings within a single simulation framework.

Built on MATLAB, Simulink, Simscape, and Simscape Multibody, WEC-Sim lets you simulate a wide variety of real wave-energy concepts: from heaving point absorbers and oscillating water columns (OWCs) to oscillating wave surge converters (OSWECs) and floating devices with realistic mooring systems.

WEC-Sim supports Model Based Design workflows, helping users explore design trade-offs, develop and test control strategies, and estimate power performance in realistic sea states before building hardware. That means faster iteration, lower risk, and better-informed engineering decisions.

The WEC-Sim Applications repository provides a rich set of ready-to-run examples and strong documentation. 

If you work anywhere at the intersection of waves, renewables, and power generation, WEC-Sim is a tool you should absolutely have in your modelling toolkit.

Current members of the development team include:

Jeff Grasberger (Sandia), Salman Husain (NREL), Adam Keester (Sandia - PI), Jorge Leon (Sandia), James Niffenegger (NREL), David Ogden (NREL), Mohamed A. Shabara (NREL - PI)

Former members of the development team include:

Dominic Forbush (Sandia), Michael Lawson (NREL), Carlos Michelen (Sandia), Kelley Ruehl (Sandia), Nathan Tom (NREL), Jennifer Van Rij (NREL), Yi-Hsiang Yu (NREL)