Viewpoint
Dr Claire Hinton of ABPmer looks at supporting marine renewable energy with good science and understanding
With interest in marine renewables, in particular wave and tidal, increasing nationwide including Scotland, it is easy to become caught up in a wave of excitement. Recent announcements including leasing within the Pentland Firth, the Saltire Prize nominations and also nine Scottish Territorial Waters Offshore Wind Farms, in addition to Round 3 sites, provide confirmation that the marine renewables industry is moving in the right direction – forward. The supporting Scottish Government announcement of a renewable energy target of 80 percent by 2020 sets a very high target to reach.
But does the support framework exist to move the industry forward from ‘paper to practice’, both within Scotland and the wider UK? Market fragility exists with influencing political and economic factors in play. Whilst we have political will, good technical development, albeit with a few fundamental support issues (i.e. grid and supply chain) and an improved understanding of impacts, there still remains uncertainty with market demand (any energy solution needs to be affordable) and investment. The fragility is highlighted in Chris Huhne’s October announcement that the government does not wish to take forward the Severn Barrage at this time, but in the same breath announcing eight potential sites for nuclear power station development by 2025.
Nationally, there exists the potential for variances in attitudes to current marine legislation and regulation. This needs to be minimised with common guidance, attitudes, knowledge sharing and support given UK-wide. So, the industry could be helped through a shared approach within the different regulatory bodies and their statutory nature conservation advisors, understanding the environmental issues, prioritising research and monitoring results in addition to identifying examples of best practice. With recent announcements by the coalition government, it’s a matter of waiting to see if this could be resolved following discussion, for example, between the Environment Agency and Natural England.
So where can science act to support an industry, particularly the wave and tidal, which is struggling to fund itself? Perhaps through UK-wide strategic projects which provide widespread and longstanding value, for example the Atlas of UK Marine Renewable Energy, originally released in 2003. However, this relies heavily upon research funds which may be adversely affected as we face harsh economic decisions.
Maybe it is through projects that actively share experience and disseminate to the industry with support from key bodies? For example, the recent COWRIE funded project led by ABPmer provided an updated review of sediment monitoring data from offshore wind farms. This study involved a deliberate initiative to draw on recent sediment monitoring evidence and to involve key parties in the data review to gain a wide consensus and a shared understanding.
Or maybe through more open routes to obtaining and sharing data? Should online portals be activated to allow data sharing? Certainly it is encouraging to see developers working together to provide a common database, as seen within the Moray Firth and Firth of Forth. This sort of interaction can also be seen in the Pentland Firth, but should be encouraged beyond that of data collection and developed towards a common understanding of not only the pre-development conditions within an area, but also joint efforts to understand the potential impacts of multiple developments within one area.
The path to success relies upon a comprehensive suite of high-quality data, recorded at the right time. Data is important in informing site decisions and managing risks and uncertainties. A good appreciation of the importance of data collection early in the project lifecycle, balanced with the associated requirements for survey durations, timings and data processing is required. Round 3 illustrates multiple variances in approach of how much data is ‘sufficient’, but this is also dependent upon the subsequent applications of the data. Improved understanding of the up-and-coming weather conditions when planning any site activity, e.g marine surveys, is important. One initiative developed by ABPmer is its SeaStates service. This can be used within a project lifecycle to determine the future energy output which could be captured by a wet device, or to assess the timings of service visits.
So, science needs to support the industry, but industry must also play a proactive role in moving forward. Acting together, learning from each other and pushing for initiatives which provide widespread and longstanding understanding to all is a must.
www.abpmer.co.uk
Dr Claire Hinton is a consultant at ABPmer.
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