Overview
IEC TS 62600-1:2011 - "Marine energy - Wave, tidal and other water current converters - Part 1: Terminology" is an IEC Technical Specification that establishes a common vocabulary for the marine renewable energy sector. It defines terms relevant to wave, tidal current and other water‑current energy converters to promote consistent communication among designers, researchers, regulators and industry stakeholders. The document is intended as a living glossary to support project development, modelling, testing and the creation of future standards.
Key Topics
This terminology TS covers core concepts and commonly used phrases in marine energy, including (but not limited to):
- Resource and performance terms: annual energy production, conversion efficiency (resource-to-wire), capture area (tidal), capture width/length (wave).
- Hydrodynamics and device motion: added mass, added mass at infinity, added mass coefficient, six degrees of freedom (heave, surge, sway, pitch, roll, yaw).
- Wave and current descriptions: energy period, directional wave spectrum, directional spreading function, directionally resolved power, current profile, deep water definition.
- Operational and asset terms: availability, array (marine energy), farm, amplitude control, extreme significant wave height, chart datum.
- Energy systems: energy storage capacity, excitation force (wave).
Definitions are harmonized with IEC 60050 (International Electrotechnical Vocabulary) and other IEC documents where applicable.
Applications
IEC TS 62600-1 is practical for:
- Device developers and marine engineers - to ensure consistent terms in design specifications, modelling reports and test plans.
- Resource analysts and ocean modellers - when describing wave spectra, directional spreading and current profiles for site assessment.
- Project developers and array designers - for communicating capture width/area, array spacing and expected annual energy production.
- Certification bodies and regulators - to align terminology used in permitting, compliance and performance claims.
- Researchers and educators - as a reference glossary when publishing papers or training materials.
Using standardized terminology reduces ambiguity in contracts, technical reports, resource characterizations and interdisciplinary collaboration across the marine renewable energy industry.
Related Standards (if applicable)
- IEC 60050 - International Electrotechnical Vocabulary (harmonization reference cited in the TS).
- Other parts of the IEC 62600 series (for device-specific requirements, testing and performance measurement) and standards developed by IEC Technical Committee 114 (Marine energy).
Keywords: IEC TS 62600-1:2011, marine energy terminology, wave energy, tidal current, marine renewable energy, WEC, TEC, capture width, conversion efficiency.