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An overview of the United States' Powering the Blue Economy (PBE) initiative. Specifically, how marine renewable energy's history and feasibility has influenced this new funding direction for the Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office. Marine energy has a unique opportunity to power other maritime industries as well as provide resilience for remote coastal communities. One…

This presentation mainly focuses on the importance of environmental effects for accelerating marine energy development. It provides information regarding the drivers of marine energy development, a concept in sharing information and analyses internationally, Metadata forms, workshops, and moving forward. 

This presentation is an explanation of the Ocean Energy Systems Implementing Agreement. This agreement is a framework that exists under the International Energy Agency. However, the IEA is not directly involved, but they do provide the foundation to facilitate international cooperation. The agreement was introduced in 2001 by 3 countries and has now grown to 18. The mission is to, by 2020,…

The marine environment has the capacity to provide large amounts of clean, renewable energy through its waves and tides. As marine renewable energy (MRE) devices are being tested, concerns regarding the potential effects of MRE devices on marine organisms, habitats, and ecosystem processes continue to slow permitting. To address these concerns, and further advance the industry, an…

Surface-placed wave energy converters, floating tidal turbines, and floating offshore wind platforms all require anchoring to the seabed with multiple mooring lines and electrical cables passing through the water column, from near the sea surface to the sea floor. Concerns have been raised that large whales may collide with and/or become entangled in lines and cables from renewable energy…

Integrated instrumentation packages designed for operation at marine renewable energy sites have the potential to reduce the risk uncertainty around high priority interactions between stressors and receptors. Such packages can leverage the competitive strengths of individual instruments and reduce risk in a rapid, cost-effective manner. One emerging example of environmental infrastructure to…

Currently, the marine renewable energy (MRE) industry is struggling with high costs of baseline environmental assessments and post-installation monitoring, as well as long timelines for obtaining permits, leading to uncertainty and risk for financing projects. One solution to overcome such barriers and help advance the MRE industry could be the ability to transfer learning, analyses, and…

With only a few wave and tidal devices in the water and no long-term post-installation datasets available, there continue to be uncertainties around risks to marine animals and habitats from the deployment and operation of marine renewable energy (MRE) systems. Based on these uncertainties and lack of familiarity with MRE devices, regulators and stakeholders continue to perceive a wide array…

Generation of low carbon energy is needed to mitigate climate change and to support the sustainable use of the oceans. Marine renewable energy (MRE)—largely the generation of power from waves and tides—can assist with this need. However, MRE technologies are new and their potential environmental effects on marine organisms, habitats, and ecosystem processes are shrouded in uncertainty, causing…

The pace of development for wave and tidal energy projects worldwide continues to be hindered by uncertainty surrounding potential environmental effects of the devices and the balance of system. To respond to this uncertainty the Ocean Energy Systems (OES) international agreement developed a collaborative initiative (Annex IV). Over an initial three-year period (2010-2012) Annex IV collected…

The “Blue Economy” is a rapidly growing movement based on the economic, social, and ecological sustainability of the ocean and encompasses various maritime activities, including ocean observations. The demand for ocean data to inform scientific, risk reduction, and national security needs relies upon future deployments of observing systems and over coming constraints, such as power.

In…

Marine Hydrokinetic Power is a great potential renewable energy source. However, environmental risks and other fears is a barrier against new renewable energy technologies. The need for understanding potential environmental impacts spurred the continuing development of the Environmental Risk Evaluation System (ERES). ERES is a scientific tool, which allows specific identification and…

Over the last two decades, developers of marine renewable energy (MRE) technologies have designed and tested new devices that harness wave and tidal energy. However, few full-scale devices have been deployed or connected to the grid. A delaying factor is perceived lengthy permitting processes with substantial environmental monitoring requirements. The Triton Initiative and OES-Environmental…

To advance the marine energy industry, there is a need to not only focus research on designing and testing devices, but also to examine potential environmental effects on marine animals and habitats. To date, the environmental focus has been on interactions of small numbers of marine energy devices with the environment, including collision by animals with turbine blades, underwater sound and…