Posted By: Melissa Oldreive, Dom Tollit, and Daniel J. Hasselman (FORCE) On: March 26, 2019 | 0 Comments
The Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) is Canada’s leading center for research and demonstration of in-stream tidal energy technologies. Located in the Bay of Fundy in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia, FORCE has been collecting environmental and site characterization data for almost ten years. Based on this experience, FORCE has a role to play in supporting informed, evidence-based decisions by regulators, industry, the scientific community, and the public.
Research and monitoring in support of tidal energy development in the Minas Passage have been taking place for many... Read More
Posted By: Marisa McNatt and Matthew Sanders (POET) On: November 14, 2018 | 0 Comments
A small nonprofit based in Portland, Ore. is helping to place the Pacific Region of the United States – comprised of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii – on the map as a vibrant destination for ocean renewable energy research and development.
Available offshore wind, wave, and tidal resources offer significant opportunity for states in the Pacific Region to meet their renewable energy targets. Yet, actually tapping into the region’s rich, coastal carbon-free energy sources is not without its challenges. The Pacific Ocean Energy Trust (POET) is advancing solutions for the... Read More
Posted By: Janine Aschwanden, Stefan Werner, Felix Liechti On: May 17, 2018 | 0 Comments
The number of fatal bird collisions at wind turbines is rarely studied in relation to the number of birds observed crossing an area. The reason might be that the acquisition of such data is time consuming, costly, and not trivial. The analysis and interpretation of radar data is especially difficult. Furthermore, there are a variety of radar systems and not all systems are technically suitable to answer all research questions.
A big challenge in radar ornithology is differentiating birds from all the non-bird objects (precipitation, clutter, insects, bats, aviation etc.) which are usually... Read More
Posted By: Jim Strittholt On: April 03, 2018 | 0 Comments
Jim Strittholt, Conservation Biology Institute (US)
In order to effectively combat climate change, rapid transition to renewable energy is essential and new economic opportunities are rapidly emerging. The recent progress towards renewable energy is encouraging, but care must be taken to avoid unintended negative consequences on wildlife and existing human uses whether these new developments are on land or at sea. Successful development requires up-front community engagement and careful planning backed by the best scientific and social data, and the means to advance participation by all... Read More
Posted By: James Miller On: December 14, 2017 | 0 Comments
James H. Miller and Gopu R. Potty - Department of Ocean Engineering, University of Rhode Island
Y. T. Lin and Arthur E. Newhall - Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Kathy Vigness Raposa, Adam Frankel, and Jennifer Giard - Marine Acoustics, Inc
Tim Mason - Subacoustech, Ltd.
Block Island Wind Farm, a 30MW farm with 5 turbines situated off the coast of Rhode Island, is the first offshore wind farm in the United States. This construction and initial operation brings the opportunity to understand the environmental effects of offshore wind development... Read More
Posted By: Sharon Kramer and Olivia Langhamer On: November 15, 2017 | 0 Comments
As the marine renewable energy (MRE) industry advances and devices are deployed, there is a need to understand potential environmental effect of introducing structures to marine waters and potentially attracting marine organisms. These structures may act as artificial reefs, underwater human-made structures that function similar to a natural reef, and can include oil and gas platforms, sunken ships, concrete reef balls, and MRE devices. While artificial reefs are used to enhance the marine environment and benefit organisms, such as by attracting reef-associated fish, research is still needed... Read More
Posted By: John King On: July 06, 2017 | 0 Comments
At the University of Rhode Island in the United States, a study of electromagnetic field (EMF) impacts on elasmobranchs and lobsters is currently being conducted. The contract is led by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the study aims to assess impacts of direct current (DC) cables on marine organisms. The study was prompted by the potential for the “Atlantic Wind Connection” venture, a high-capacity, lengthy DC cable supported by Google to connect all wind farms in the mid-Atlantic. To study the magnetic and electrical impacts on marine organisms from DC cables, two existing cables,... Read More
Posted By: Anna Redden, Haley Viehman, and Melissa Oldreive On: June 09, 2017 | 0 Comments
The Province of Nova Scotia has set an ambitious renewable energy production target of 40% by 2020. One of the mechanisms to achieve this goal, initiated by the Province, was the creation of the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) tidal turbine test facility in the Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy (http://fundyforce.ca). The first of two commercial-scale tidal turbines (16 m diameter Open Hydro turbines) connected to the electrical grid were deployed in November 2016. The effects of large commercial scale tidal energy development on fish are not yet well understood, but are of key... Read More
Posted By: Mikaela Freeman On: February 20, 2017 | 0 Comments
Adaptive management (AM) is a learning-based management approach that is used to reduce scientific uncertainty. AM has been identified as a tool to advance the wind energy industry, although its application in practice has been limited. AM has primarily been actively implemented in the United States, while other nations have applied some of the principles of AM. Many wind energy projects use the mitigation hierarchy or the precautionary principle to guide development, both of which focus on mitigating or avoiding project-related risks or impacts. Overall, AM allows wind energy projects to... Read More
Posted By: Genevra Harker-Klimeš On: January 24, 2017 | 0 Comments
One of the key features of renewable energy generation is its benefit to the environment through developing low carbon power sources, so it’s important to develop new types of renewable energy in environmentally responsible ways. Collecting and analyzing environmental data necessary for marine energy projects is difficult – the areas of interest are highly energetic, with (typically) little existing information, while the devices themselves do not have a long track record of deployment so there are high uncertainties in the possible effects. The US Department of Energy has recognized the... Read More