USA: DOE Launches Report on Environmental Effects of Marine Energy Development

As part of an international collaboration with the International Energy Agency, the Energy Department has launched a new database that includes results of environmental monitoring and research efforts on wave, tidal, and current energy development worldwide.

Called “Tethys,” after the Greek titaness of the ocean, the database will help industry regulators and energy project developers deploy sustainable ocean energy projects in an environmentally responsible manner.

Developed through a partnership with the International Energy Agency’s Ocean Energy Systems initiative (OES), the Tethys database and an accompanying report identify research on potential environmental effects and monitoring methods for ocean power.

The database and report also provide the emerging global ocean energy industry with real-world data—documenting interactions between wave, tidal, and current devices, marine wildlife, and oceans’ physical systems—that will help safely explore and expand the use of clean, renewable energy sources like ocean power.

The Tethys database also features an interactive map of ocean energy environmental monitoring and research projects around the world to aid developers and regulatory agencies in siting and permitting future projects. The Energy Department encourages researchers in this area to submit their work to the database to further expand and improve this valuable resource.

The report was compiled by Energy Department’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in partnership with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Partner nations in the Ocean Energy Systems initiative, including Canada, Ireland, Spain, Norway, New Zealand, and South Korea, also provided funding and substantial input to this effort.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy accelerates development and facilitates deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality.

[mappress]

Press release, February 10, 2013; Image: Ocean Power Technologies