As wave energy technology is still a young industry, many of the supporting technologies are even less well developed. In this work, HF radar is presented as a new tool for both resource assessment and as a potential resource for monitoring the impact of wave energy on the marine environment. A Wellen Radar (WERA) system, located in the SW of the UK, has been setup to overview the Wave Hub area, with a spatial coverage of up to 90 Km square at a 1 Km resolution. The radar is continuously operating at a centreline frequency of 12 MHz, providing hourly records of surface currents and wave conditions.
A preliminary study of the energy potential is performed for this area using radar data. A waverider buoy, deployed within the HF radar line of sight, is used for comparison and validation. By means of spectral measurements, energy parameters are estimated and hence, scatter diagrams are generated over the spring period. Initial results show good agreement between the HF radar and wave buoy measurements. Nevertheless, further studies need to be pursued, namely regarding longer data sets.
