WCWI Phase 2 SWAN model update
The WCWI Phase 2 SWAN model is beginning the process of hindcasting the wave conditions off Vancouver Island from 2002 until 2012, based on wave measurements from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and wind forecasts from the COAMPS wind model. After completing our detailed initial wave energy resource assessment work with our Phase 1 SWAN model, we noted the need for a much larger grid to cover all of the West Coast of Vancouver Island and most of the Central Coast. Our new computational SWAN grid is huge and is going allow us unprecedented ability to characterise the wave energy resource in British Columbia.
The video below gives just a sneak peak to what we are able to begin to resolving terms of wave conditions. The model is showing the wave conditions during January 2012 in 3 hour time steps. We still need to do a significant amount of model validation work, but initial results are very promising.