This paper provides an overview of the global wave resource for energy exploration.The most popular metrics and estimators for wave energy resource characterization have been compiled and classified by levels of energy exploration.A review of existing prospective wave energy resource assessments worldwide is also given,and those studies have been collated and classified by continent.Finally,information about forty existing open sea wave energy test sites worldwide and their characteristics is depicted and displayed on a newly created global map.It has been found that wave power density is still the most consensual metric used for wave energy resource assessment purposes among researchers.Nonetheless,to accomplish a comprehensive wave resource assessment for exploitation,the computation of other metrics at the practicable,technical,and socio-economic levels has also been performed at both spatial and temporal domains.Overall,regions in latitudes between 40°and 60°of both hemispheres are those where the highest wave power density is concentrated.Some areas where the most significant wave power density occurs are in offshore regions of southern Australia,New Zealand,South Africa,Chile,the British Isles,Iceland,and Greenland.However,Europe has been the continent where most research efforts have been done targeting wave energy characterisation for exploitation.
