Ocean Renewable Energy

Jack Sterne (Rising Tides Strategies)

• 1^st took requests on topics that the audience wanted to learn more about during the panel
• been working on ÒOcean Renewable EnergyÓ document (handed out during session)

• Wave Technology

• 1. Point absorbers (e.g. buoy) ˆ spins a turbine
  2. Over-topping devices ˆ water runs over it
  3. “Sea-snake” devices ˆ kinetic energy from waves rising and falling
  4. Pressure-differential devices ˆ turbine spins via chamber device
• Tidal Generation
  1. Like underwater wind turbines
  2. Or like push lawnmower (horizontal)
• Current Energy
  1. Similar to tidal generation but energy of currents like Gulf Stream harnessed (difficult)
• Thermal Differentials
• ocean renewable energy different from wind, still determining best technologies (like wind 20 years ago)
• trying to figure out now what ocean technologies will work

Amanda Leland (National Policy Director of Environmental Defense Fund)

• EDF ˆ how to stop global warming, how to protect oceans
• renewable ocean energy could generate up to 10% of global demand
• companies may need to place structures, cables, and devices in the ocean
  • we don’t know what the impacts on the natural environment and biodiversity will be
  • we don’t know the cumulative impacts (at the commercial scale)
  • potential conflicts with user groups (surfers, fishers)
• on the other hand, carbon-based energy has many negative effects on the ocean
• does reduction in carbon footprint from ocean renewable energy outweigh the negative impacts of ocean energy devices?
• renewable energy technology developers are concerned about conservation and not harming the environment
• Principles from the Ocean Renewable Energy Document (shared with the Obama transition team)

1.     US should increase electrical generation from renewable sources; ocean renewable energy could be part of this.

2.     Government policies should encourage pilot programs (small scale) and demonstrations to assure protection of ocean resources.

3.     Government should increase funding for research and development to investigate the impacts of ocean renewable energy.  Make information part of public domains. (NOAA would have an explicit role in all of this.)

Jack Sterne (speaking as an energy developer)

• Cape Wind ˆ energy development project in front of Teddy KennedyÕs house
  • no clear regulatory process for siting of wind projects
  • people donÕt want to look at wind turbines in the landscape
  • Energy Policy Act of 2005 gave regulatory power to renewable energy projects off-shore to the Department of the Interior (DOI) but the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) usually regulates hydropower ˆ created a conflict between FERC & DOI
  • energy developers donÕt know where to get permits
  • Obama administration asked to clarify regulatory mess
  • developers deterred by regulatory confusion and need to know the rules so they can get permits and investors

• Principles from the Ocean Renewable Energy Document continued

4.     FERC & Dept. of InteriorÕs Minerals Management Service (MMS) should resolve their jurisdictional dispute.

5.     Regulatory agencies need to prepare a unified environmental document for each project application and coordinate the permitting process.

• Reedsport, Oregon ˆ Ocean Power Technologies
  • consensus-based process to determine siting of ocean renewable energy projects
  • comprehensive study of impacts (quantify)
  • adaptive management process ˆ continually revise project with new information, stakeholders involved in this process
  • study and plan adaptive management program, may be written into permitting process
  • phased program (phasing in of buoys), just for 10 buoys (company would like to have 200 buoys eventually)

• Principles from the Ocean Renewable Energy Document continued

6.     Mechanisms to support coordinate federal and state agency planning for ocean renewable energy development.

7.     Regulatory process should allow for stakeholder participation (like in Reedsport, OR)

Jim McElfish (Environmental Law Institute)

• MMS has proposed federal rules on ocean renewable energy
• where should states be on renewable energy?
  • Reactive? (like MA with Cape Wind)
  • Prepared?
  • Supportive?
• important to think through relationships with states
• RI special areas management plan ˆ trying to be prepared and supportive
• multi-state approaches
  • energy projects might impact more than one state
  • mid-Atlantic states may collaborate

Randy Flood (Green Jobs Alliance)

• $500 million earmarked in stimulus package for green jobs
• trying to create green jobs and looking into potential of ocean renewable energy

Jim McElfish (Environmental Law Institute) continued

• jobs for dock-workers, iron-workers, displaced fishermen
• hard to quantify how many jobs might be created per million dollars spent
• developers would prefer a federal permitting system ˆ simpler
• but there needs to be a state role
• “Ocean renewable energy is a public lands issue” ˆ multiple use
• wind industry wants rules but tidal/wave industry does not ˆ right now there is the same fee for test projects and commercial projects, which is bad
• argument for fee system for extraction of ocean energy
• better for FERC to be in charge of ocean renewable energy than for MMS