A Risk Retirement Pathway for Potential Effects of Underwater Noise and Electromagnetic Fields for Marine Renewable Energy

Conference · Mon Dec 30 04:00:00 EST 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.23919/OCEANS40490.2019.8962841· OSTI ID:1600643

Copping, Andrea E. ^[1]; Freeman, Mikaela C. ^[1]; Gorton, Alicia M. ^[1]; Hemery, Lenaig G. ^[1]

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1. BATTELLE (PACIFIC NW LAB)

Commercial marine renewable energy (MRE) developments can take extended periods of time to progress, in part due to complicated permitting processes that require expensive data collection and data review. Much of this delay is associated with uncertainty around potential effects of MRE on marine animals and habitats, leading regulators and stakeholders to believe that significant risks may exist. This paper acknowledges the state of scientific knowledge around MRE environmental effects and puts forward a process for risk retirement associated with early MRE developments, with a focus on the potential effects from underwater noise from wave and tidal devices, as well as potential effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) from export power cables on marine animals and habitats. This process was developed as part of the Ocean Energy Systems (OES) OES-Environmental task.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1600643
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-147090
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

marine renewable energy (MRE)
risk retirement
underwater noise
electromagnetic fields