Annex IV 2016 State of the Science Report: Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy Development Around the World

TitleAnnex IV 2016 State of the Science Report: Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy Development Around the World
Publication TypeReport
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsCopping, A, Sather, N, Hanna, L, Whiting, J, Zydlewski, G, Staines, G, Gill, AB, Hutchison, I, O'Hagan, AMarie, Simas, T, Bald, J, Sparling, C, Wood, J, Masden, E
Abstract

This report summarizes the state of the science of interactions and effects of marine renewable energy (MRE) devices on the marine environment, the animals that live there, and the habitats that support them. This report was produced by the Annex IV Initiative, under the Ocean Energy Systems (OES) collaboration. Thirteen OES countries have joined together to assess the potential environmental effects of MRE development, and to learn collectively how to address potential effects that hamper siting and consenting/permitting of devices, to facilitate the establishment of the MRE industry. The information gathered and analyzed for this report can help inform regulatory and research investigations of potential risks to marine animals and habitats from tidal and wave installations, and can assist MRE developers in developing engineering, siting, operational strategies, and monitoring options for projects that minimize encounters with marine animals and/or diminish the effects if such encounters occur. Used in conjunction with site-specific knowledge, the information from this report may simplify and shorten the time to permit (consent) deployment of single and multiple device arrays. The information brought together for analysis represents readily available, reliable information about environmental interactions with MRE devices; however, the analysis and conclusions drawn are not meant to take the place of site-specific analyses and studies, or to direct permitting (consenting) actions or siting considerations in specific locations. Access the document and additional resources here: https://tethys.pnnl.gov/publications/state-of-the-science-2016

URLhttps://tethys.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Annex-IV-2016-State-of-the-Science-Report_MR.pdf