Siting and selection for marine renewable projects

Abstract

This paper looks at the issues to be addressed when determining optimum locations for the deployment of marine renewables. As the public perception of global warming and carbon emissions heightens, governments and authorities are forced to insert renewables into their overall generation mix. Clearly, reducing emissions is a good thing for the planet as a whole, but it also has the added advantage of increasing power-grid resilience through distributed sources of generation. Although constantly improving, in general, renewables are still economically marginal investments, so great care must be taken to select and site these devices so as to maximize their return on investment (ROI). We will discuss the three primary areas of marine renewable devices Wind, Wave and Tidal stream, and present the most important issues to be addressed when reviewing each. Particular attention is paid to wave energy devices as it is felt that these devices are currently in a particularly interesting, and relevant, phase of development. A selection of examples of each of the most significant and currently viable technologies is introduced for each of the areas, and for each of these devices, specific siting constraints are identified and discussed.