OES Annual Report 2012 - Ocean Energy Systems

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03 / PROJECT ACTIVITIES
From April to September of 2012, the final report was written and then reviewed by Operating Agent partners,
technical consultants, and member country representatives. It provides a summary of the current science and
understanding for three potential environmental impacts of ocean energy technologies: physical interactions
between animals and tidal turbines, the acoustic impact of ocean energy devices, and the effects of energy
removal on physical systems (e.g. hydrodynamics, sediment transport). Those summaries are presented as
case studies within the report and contain descriptions of environmental monitoring efforts and research
studies, lessons learned, and an analysis of remaining information gaps for each topic. Although the original
concept of case studies was to focus on monitoring efforts around specific marine energy projects, the slower
than projected pace of development encouraged a re-examination of the most efficacious topics for case
studies. The criteria used to select the three case studies presented in the final report were:
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The topic must be a common environmental concern or question among multiple nations;
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The topic must be raised as a significant issue in permitting (consenting) of marine energy sites in more
than one nation; and
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There must be sufficient information available to make an assessment.
On October 15 th 2012, the second experts’ workshop was held in Dublin Ireland in conjunction with the 4th
International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE). Fifty-five experts from nine countries participated. The
intent of the workshop was to review Annex IV information presented via the Tethys database for content
and functionality, to review the draft final report with its associated case studies, and to provide substantive
comments on these Annex IV products, prior to revisions and publication at the end of 2012. All materials
were provided to workshop participants for review four weeks before the workshop occurred.
During the last months of 2012, further updates and revisions were made to the Tethys database and final
report based on feedback received during the experts’ workshop, and preparations were made for the
publication of both. The final report for the Annex IV effort will be available on the OES website (http://www.
ocean-energy-systems.org/), and users will be able to access the Tethys database from there or directly
through the PNNL website (http://mhk.pnnl.gov/wiki/index.php/Tethys_Home).
Future Activities
As the three-year Annex IV project draws to a close, it is clear that there are future activities that would
support the understanding of environmental effects of marine energy development and continue to meet
the goals initially identified under the Annex IV work plan. The amount of environmental monitoring data
collected to date has been limited in both scope and scale, as the marine energy industry progresses through
the early stages of development. Key environmental questions remain unanswered that future activities could
help to inform. The Annex IV Operating Agent (the U.S.) has agreed to commit resources to maintaining and
continuing to collect information from around the world for input into the Tethys database. However, continued
commitment from other nations would greatly augment the ability to identify and aggregate information on
environmental monitoring from marine energy development and research projects around the world. As
was noted repeatedly at the second Annex IV experts’ workshop, unless the Tethys database is adequately
maintained and perceived to contain sufficient quantities of up-to-date information, it will not be utilized by
the marine energy community. At the time of this report’s publication, the U.S. has engaged the OES member
counties to discuss the possibility of extending the Annex IV effort for an additional period, or initiating a
new Annex sometime during calendar year 2013. Activities under an extended or new Annex would likely
be focused around continued metadata collection and analysis by member nations, formal periodic reviews
of the database, and expanded database functionalities as identified during the second expert’s workshop.
Other potential activities may include partnering with other organizations to host international scientific
conferences or workshops, and future publications providing updates on new environmental monitoring or
research activities. The most important goal is to ensure that the work completed thus far under Annex IV
forms the foundation for future efforts that support the development of a thriving, environmentally sustainable
marine energy community around the world.