DETERMINATION OF KWAZULU-NATAL SEA STATE PARAMETERS FOR THE SPECTRAL FUNCTIONS

While there is a challenge and conflict between the need of energy and the production, different alternatives are explored to minimize the used of coal in the generation of electrical energy because of the greenhouse gases emission and climate change. Ocean wave energy is one of the important solutions to the energy needed as South Africa is almost surrounded by ocean. This paper defined the important parameters intervening in the ocean wave energy assessment and the design of ocean wave energy converters for KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa by defining the significant height and the average peak period. Based on the analysis of ocean wave data sets of this province the significant height of 3.854 m and peak period of 9.807 s were obtained. Those can be used to determine the wave class based on the environmental information's, and the appropriate type of spectral model to use in the study of ocean wave energy converters for energy harvesting.