Refocus Marine Renewable Energy Report

Forecasts future activity in the marine renewables sectors of offshore wind, wave and tidal energy. Written by leading energy industry analysts, the models used in forecasting use realistic costing, based on actual project costs.

In this timely book, leading authors explore the technologies that might help us to develop a sustainable energy future, emphasising renewable energy and the political and economic context needed for them to prosper. This collection makes hard-headed assessments of what is possible and what is not.

Energy from wave and tidal power is a key component of current policies for renewable sources of energy. This book provides the first comprehensive exploration of legal, economic, and social issues related to the emerging ocean energy industry, in particular wave and tidal energy technologies. This industry is rapidly developing, and considerable technical literature has developed around the technology. However, it is shown that challenges relating to regulation and policy are major impediments to industry development, and these aspects have not previously been sufficiently highlighted and studied. The book informs policymakers, industry participants, and researchers of the key issues in this developing field. Ocean energy is considered in the context of the blue economy and an industrialising ocean, and the topics covered include: development of policy (policy instruments, risk and delay in technology development); legal aspects (consenting processes, resource management, impact assessment); human interactions (conflicts, consultation, community benefits); and spatial planning of the marine environment. While offshore wind energy, sited in the oceans but not strictly derived from the ocean, is not the primary focus of the book, there is also discussion of the similarities and differences between offshore wind and wave and tidal power policy dimensions.

Using the findings of the Background Report together with input from the Stakeholder Roundtable and the public, and ideas brought forward through the Participation Support funding process, OEER has made 29 recommendations to guide a strategic approach to the development of marine renewable en- ergy in the Bay of Fundy. [...] The Province informed OEER that: The objective of the SEA is to assess social, economic and environmental effects and factors associated with potential development of renewable energy resources in the Bay of Fundy with an emphasis on in-stream tidal. [...] Objectives of the Fundy Tidal SEA The mandate of the Fundy Tidal Energy SEA was to address a range of marine renewable energy technologies (wind, wave and tidal), however the Province specified that the main focus should be on a tidal in-stream energy converters (TISEC), also known as tidal in-stream turbines. [...] The scope and scale of the cost of making a transition to lower emissions and greater sustainability are difficult to estimate due to many unknowns, such as: • the future cost of each energy source; • technological breakthroughs; • the level of efficiency and conservation achieved; and • future caps on emissions. [...] Fundy Tidal Energy SEA Final Report CHAPTER THREE MARINE RENEWABLE ENERgY TECHNOLOgIES ANd THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH THE ENVIRONMENT The Background Report describes the full range of marine renewable energy technologies, and the current environment, and analyses the potential ways in which the two would interact.

A comprehensive text covering all aspects of wave and tidal energy Wave and Tidal Energy provides a comprehensive and self-contained review of the developing marine renewable energy sector, drawing from the latest research and from the experience of device testing. The book has a twofold objective: to provide an overview of wave and tidal energy suitable for newcomers to the field and to serve as a reference text for advanced study and practice. Including detail on key issues such as resource characterisation, wave and tidal technology, power systems, numerical and physical modelling, environmental impact and policy. The book also includes an up-to-date review of developments worldwide and case studies of selected projects. Key features: A comprehensive and self-contained text covering all aspects of the multidisciplinary fields of wave and tidal energy. Draws upon the latest research in wave and tidal energy and the experience of leading practitioners in numerical and laboratory modelling. Regional developments worldwide are reviewed and representative projects are presented as case studies. Wave and Tidal Energy is an invaluable resource to a wide range of readers, from engineering students to technical managers and policymakers to postgraduate students and researchers.

The Energy and Climate Change Committee believes the UK could become a leading exporter of wave and tidal power equipment and expertise if the Government adopts a more visionary approach to developing marine renewables. Technologies that can harness the power of the sea to generate electricity are still in their infancy. But with the largest wave and tidal resources in Europe, up to 20% of the UK's electricity could eventually come from this reliable and predictable low-carbon source. Developing a thriving wave and tidal industry could also bring economic benefits to the UK. Companies based here could export equipment and components for marine devices to other markets, and also provide specialist skills and expertise, such as offshore surveying. The UK is currently the world leader in the development of wave and tidal energy technologies. Of the eight full-scale prototype devices installed worldwide, seven are in the UK. But an overly cautious approach to developing this sector may allow other less risk-averse countries to steal the UK's lead, as happened with wind turbines. The report identifies a number of crucial areas for development of the marine renewables industry: investor confidence, policy certainty, public-private risk sharing, improved grid connections and a workforce with the necessary engineering skills are all. The UK needs a strong political vision to boost confidence and drive the pace of development in order to reap the rewards of a successful wave and tidal power industry.

Increasing renewable energy development, both within the United States and abroad, has rekindled interest in the potential for marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) resources to contribute to electricity generation. These resources derive from ocean tides, waves, and currents; temperature gradients in the ocean; and free-flowing rivers and streams. One measure of the interest in the possible use of these resources for electricity generation is the increasing number of permits that have been filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). As of December 2012, FERC had issued 4 licenses and 84 preliminary permits, up from virtually zero a decade ago. However, most of these permits are for developments along the Mississippi River, and the actual benefit realized from all MHK resources is extremely small. The first U.S. commercial gridconnected project, a tidal project in Maine with a capacity of less than 1 megawatt (MW), is currently delivering a fraction of that power to the grid and is due to be fully installed in 2013. As part of its assessment of MHK resources, DOE asked the National Research Council (NRC) to provide detailed evaluations. In response, the NRC formed the Committee on Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Technology Assessment. As directed in its statement of task (SOT), the committee first developed an interim report, released in June 2011, which focused on the wave and tidal resource assessments (Appendix B). The current report contains the committee's evaluation of all five of the DOE resource categories as well as the committee's comments on the overall MHK resource assessment process. This summary focuses on the committee's overarching findings and conclusions regarding a conceptual framework for developing the resource assessments, the aggregation of results into a single number, and the consistency across and coordination between the individual resource assessments. Critiques of the individual resource assessment, further discussion of the practical MHK resource base, and overarching conclusions and recommendations are explained in An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessment.