Monsoon effect to wave power for wave energy converter in Mandi Darah Island, Malaysia

Malaysia is surrounded by the sea, which brings on an important part of ocean energy research especially in the aspect of wave power. Malaysia has been engaged in the recent growth of renewable energy and has contributed to utilising ocean energy through wave energy converters (WEC). To assess the ocean energy needed for a WEC, research was conducted to measure the wave power potential near Mandi Darah Island. Mandi Darah Island was utilising a generator to power the village at the time, which deemed insufficient. WEC was discovered to be another approach to sustain energy supply for the entire village in order to address this difficulty. From June to December 2018, wave height and wave period data were collected and analysed with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) to evaluate wave power. The wave power potential was derived from the observation data using the wave power equation and determine the effects of the Northeast Monsoon (NEM), Southwest Monsoon (SWM) and inter-monsoon period, especially on the nearshore in northern Sabah. The wave power analysis from ADCP was compared with wave power from thirdgeneration wave model (MRI3_S) during the same period. The maximum wave power potential during the NEM was far greater than during the SWM and the inter-monsoon season, while the MRI3_S overestimated it by 7%. Wind speed data during the monsoon was acquired through the same period with value 6.68 m/s during the NEM. The six-month study period revealed wide ranges in wave height and wave power potential during the NEM, with the highest wave power and wave height observed to be 1.57 kW/m and 0.49 m, respectively, during the period. From the comparison of wave power between ADCP and MRI3_S, the research successfully proved that monsoon effect the wave power. The findings of this study can be conducted at any place to evaluate the potential of WEC project.