The ECHOWAVE Hindcast: A 30-years high resolution database for wave energy applications in North Atlantic European waters

The ECHOWAVE hindcast is an open source dataset specially developed for wave climate and energy applications within European Atlantic waters. It provides high resolution ( ∼ 2 . 3 km) fields of wave parameters and spectral data allowing for a detailed characterization of the wave resource within the coastal shelf. This is of importance for depths < 200 m, where most deployment projects of wave energy converters (WEC) take place. Model setup and adjustments, leading to parameterization TUD-165, were specially aimed to improve the sea states’ characterization within the North-East Atlantic. The effects on accuracy of these adjustments and extensive validation, were done mainly comparing simulations with significant wave heights ( H s ) from the European Space Agency CCI Version 3 altimeter dataset. Verification of other wave parameters and the spectral energy comparing with in situ measurements were also included. Results show that TUD-165 helps to reduce about 5% the H s bias of the most frequent waves compared to T475 proposed by Alday et al. (2021), and an overall better performance than ERA5 within the North-East Atlantic. Compared to WAVERYS, ECHOWAVE performs better for H s > 9 . 5 m, with constrained bias between −2 to 5%. The accurate estimation of “extreme” waves is important to avoid WECs survivability over-estimations. • High-resolution wave hindcast specially implemented for European North Atlantic coastal areas. • CCI V3 Altimetry data used for adjustments and validation of the TUD-165 parameterization. • 20-years mean wave energy flux can be underestimated by 20% or more with global models. • ECHOWAVE’s high resolution for depths ≤ 200 m, make it a unique database for energy applications.