1. Resource

Locally, the wave energy resource is characterized by its average energy flow, expressed in kilowatts per meter of wavefront (kW/m), where the wavefront corresponds to the wave crest line. It is therefore the power transported per unit wave width.

Figure 1 shows the global distribution of the resource as an annual average. Its order of magnitude is typically a few tens of kW/m. In the northern hemisphere, Europe's Atlantic coast and the west coasts of Canada and the United States are the most exposed regions, with a resource in excess of 40 kW/m. In the southern hemisphere, southern Chile, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands...