The main objective of a wave energy converter is to generate electrical energy. To fulfill that purpose a hydraulic power take-off is usually preferred due to its versatility and high power density. Losses in this conversion process are inevitable and therefore the generated electrical energy is lower than the harvested energy. Due to the same reason the algorithm that extracts energy shall be optimized to maximize the generated electrical energy. This paper focuses on the maximization of the generated electrical energy per float in a point absorber wave energy converter. The performance of the algorithm is assessed and onsite measurements of the generated electrical energy of Wavestar’s prototype are presented.
