The Annex IV project gathered a set of experts to discuss the challenges associated with the environmental monitoring around tidal turbines.
The forum introduced the teams currently involved in environmental monitoring around operational tidal turbines and arrays, as well as those that have completed monitoring surveys.
Speakers at the forum included Andrea Copping, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Jason Wood from SMRU Consulting; Nate Johnson from Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC); Sue Barr from OpenHydro; and Anna Redden from Acadia University; among other participants.
“As the first tidal turbine arrays are coming online, the opportunity to monitor environmental interactions and reduce uncertainty around key impacts is of increasing significance. To date, environmental monitoring methods have been wide ranging and have varied in success, often reflecting budget availability and operational restrictions around test deployments.
“There are however a number of projects that are now installed and operating around the world which have comprehensive, integrated environmental monitoring programs focused on reducing uncertainty and risk, ” according to the marine renewables knowledge exchange network Tethys.
These developments provide an opportunity for strategic collaboration across projects and jurisdictions to help identify and solve common challenges associated with environmental monitoring and to ensure that the maximum value can be gained from the data gathered from these initial deployments and arrays, Tethys said.
The forum was held on January 12, 2017.
The Annex IV project is an international collaborative project among member nations of the International Energy Association’s Ocean Energy Systems (OES).
The goal of Annex IV is to examine the environmental effects of marine energy devices and environmental research studies from around the world and disseminate information to marine energy researchers, regulators, developers, and stakeholders.