Renewable Energy

The power contained in waves varies greatly. The annual average wave power around the New Zealand coast varies from 8 kW/m (i.e. for length of wave crest) at the East Cape to 99 kW/m near Stewart Island. A typical value is probably around 30 kW/m, which is a good quality resource compared with many coastlines of the world. This map shows average significant wave height for coastal areas of New Zealand for the period 1979-93. Significant wave height is the average height of the highest one third of the waves in a given sea state. The areas with greatest significant wave heights have the potential for wave power electricity generation.