The emission of pollutants and global warming caused by the consumption of fossil fuels has led researchers to find sustainable alternatives. In recent years, wave energy has gained increasing attention among researchers due to its high potential compared to other renewable energy sources. Nevertheless, wave energy converters (WECs) have yet to take significant steps toward commercialisation. Achieving this goal requires the development of control strategies that minimise the cost of delivered energy, while ensuring the robustness of the device. Throughout the thesis, the two main elements of a suitable energy-maximising control technology are discussed. The first one involves modelling the wave energy conversion systems, by exploiting the physical phenomena affecting these devices, to derive a control-oriented dynamical model, that describes the motion of the converter.