Moving Forward with Marine Renewable Energy: …But What About the Environment?

ABSTRACT

Marine energy – power derived from the movement and other attributes of ocean water – are being added to the renewable energy portfolio of many nations. Specific technologies are needed for each of the energy sources, including tidal, ocean currents, and large river turbines; wave energy converters; and plants that extract energy from thermal and salinity gradients. As the first commercial scale tidal arrays are established, more wave energy converters and run of river turbines deployed, interest renewed in ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), and salinity gradient power under consideration, we must ask whether we can generate power from the ocean, protect the environment, and accommodate other ocean users. Marine animals, habitats, and ecosystem processes are already under stress from climate change and other anthropogenic activities. And the oceans provide livelihoods, security, economic development, and sense of place for coastal communities and nations. We understand many of the environmental risks of marine energy development and other uses of the ocean, and the research community is actively measuring and analyzing interactions with marine energy. With the release of the most recent compendium of findings by Ocean Energy Systems-Environmental at ICOE 2024, we continue to gather and share these findings to support responsible, sustainable, and effective use of energy from the oceans. Offshore wind is not considered to be marine energy in the US; however many

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Copping holds a B.Sc. in marine biology from McGill University and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in biological oceanography from the University of Washington. Although trained as a blue water oceanographer, she has spent most of her professional career on interactions between human activities and the marine environment in coastal endestuarine areas. Previously, she was Associate Director of the Washington Sea Grant, at the University of Washington, responsible for research and outreach on a wide range of marine topics. Dr. Copping holds the position of Distinguished Faculty Fellow in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington, is an Associate Editor for the Coastal Management Journal, serves on the editorial board of the International Marine Energy Journal, and serves on scientific advisory boards for national marine energy development for Ireland, France, Chile, and Australia.