Modelling tidal stream power potential

In recent years, there has been an increase in interest in renewable energy sources for a number of reasons. A particular interest in tidal energy has developed within the UK due to its numerous sites of high current velocity. In this article a development, based upon previous work, of an existing hydrodynamic computational model is shown which is used to study the potential generation and the physical impacts of tidal stream farms. An idealised geometry is used to study the impacts of installed capacity and general layout of tidal stream farms and a realistic UK west coast model is used to examine the potential of presently proposed in-stream farms.     

A well-being framework for impact evaluation: The case of the UK offshore wind industry

Growing levels of energy consumption and concern over the environmental consequences of energy production are leading to an increased investment in renewable energy generation. Despite an important relationship between energy production, consumption and well-being, little attempt has been made to provide a holistic assessment of how renewable energy sectors can contribute to different aspects of human well-being. This paper develops an impact evaluation framework that can be used to capture societal-level impacts of change on primarily objective well-being and applies it to the case of the UK offshore wind industry. As such, the framework goes beyond the traditional view of economic, social and environmental impact assessment and evaluation capturing wider aspects of societal costs and benefits as well as sustainable development. The framework proves a useful tool for organising the available evidence and suggests a broadly positive impact of the UK offshore wind industry. While further testing and refinement of the framework is needed, it could be easily transferred for well-being assessment of other industries and interventions.     

The tidal range energy potential of the West Coast of the United Kingdom

With concerns mounting over the UK’s energy future and the effects of climate change, it will soon become paramount that all viable sources of renewable energy are fully exploited. This study has examined the scope for reliable and fully predictable tidal electricity generation from the conjunctive operation of 5 major estuary barrages on the West Coast of the UK in an attempt to establish the potential scale of the extractable resources. Two levels of investigation have been undertaken: simple 0-D (‘two-tank’) modelling of barrage energy generation under different operational modes, using the hydraulic characteristics of turbine performance; and 2-D modelling of tidal hydrodynamics over a wide sea area in a computational grid incorporating the barrages with turbines and sluices. It has been demonstrated that more than 33TWh per year of electricity should be attainable, from 22GW of installed capacity, this representing close to 10% of present UK demand.     

Towards best environmental practice for cetacean conservation in developing Scotland's marine renewable energy

Marine renewable energy is seen as an important component of the UK's future energy strategy and contribution to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. The UK aims to generate a total of 33 GW (gigawatts) of offshore wind energy. Its implementation strategy includes the development of ten offshore wind farms within Scottish territorial waters. In addition, between 1000 MW (megawatts) and 2600 MW of marine renewable energy generating capacity could be achieved in Scotland using wave and tidal power devices. However, there are negative environmental impacts associated with marine renewable energy. Intense noise is produced during pile driving, drilling and dredging operations with potential consequences for cetaceans. There are also increases in vessel activities during exploration, maintenance and construction with association risks of disturbance and collisions. Some underwater devices will be large and may be positioned in arrays across the habitats that cetaceans frequent. The consequences of encounters between cetaceans and such devices are as yet unknown. It is recommended that the Scottish Government complete full and transparent Marine Spatial Planning, including consideration of cumulative impacts, before moving to license appropriate sites.     

英国海上风电行业发展前景展望 ——基于差价合约制度的分析

英国海上风电产业起步较晚,但发展迅猛,成为全球海上风电产业的领头羊。英国海上风电产业扶持政策依次经历过非化石燃料义务制度、可再生能源义务制度、差价合约制度等阶段。差价合约制度作为可再生能源义务制度的后继制度,在制度上有较多的创新之处,有效地推动了英国海上风电产业的发展。文章基于差价合约制度与可再生能源义务制度的分析和比较,结合英国海上风电2030年规划目标,深入分析发现差价合约制度对英国海上风电产业发展具有较大的推动力。研究表明,差价合约制度改进了可再生能源义务制度的不足之处,能够充分利用市场机制提高海上风电企业的投资热情,降低消费者的电力消费成本,并可减轻政府的财政压力,从而推动英国海上风电产业的快速发展,这对我国具有一定借鉴意义。     

The new mode of marine planning in the UK: Aspirations and challenges

Since 2009, there has been a shift in UK marine governance with the Marine and Coastal Access Act in which a core mechanism is marine planning, designed to replace a fragmented, ad hoc, and bureaucratic process of marine management with a strategic, integrated, and centralised system. This shift has been justified by the UK government as a more efficient procedure for delivering sustainable development (SD), which is the overarching objective of UK environmental policy. This article, which is based on data from key informant interviews and secondary sources, analyses the shift to understand its aspirations and the challenges facing it. The issues focused on include its holistic approach; its centralising tendencies; its streamlining processes; and its implicit commitment to renewable energy. In these four issues there are tensions between aspirations and challenges, and the conclusion is that the success of the new mode of marine governance depends on satisfactorily resolving these tensions.     

Co-location of activities and designations: A means of solving or creating problems in marine spatial planning?

Worldwide demand for energy is growing and predicted to increase by up to three times by 2050. Renewable energy will play a vital role in meeting this demand whilst maintaining global climate change targets. Around the British Isles, development of wind farms has entered Round three, with large, high capacity wind parks being planned to enhance energy security and achieve 2020 renewable energy targets. Such developments place additional pressure on existing sea space and may result in conflicts with other marine activities and users. Co-location of certain activities, marine protected areas, aquaculture and commercial fishing in particular, has therefore been proposed as an option to ease demands on space. Using the UK guided by EU and regional policy, as a case study, following the criteria-based planning system, co-location is legally feasible. Crucially, co-location options will depend on site specific characteristics and site management plans. The biology, ecology and hydrology of the site as well as consideration of important commercial and economic factors will be determining factors of success. For marine protected areas compatibility with conservation objectives for the site will be fundamental. Where possible, it is suggested that activities suitable for co-location will develop in tandem with renewable energy projects. The importance of developing joint projects in this manner is particularly true for aquaculture projects to ensure tenure security and commercial viability. Adaptive management will be a basis for evolution of the concept and practice of co-location. Pilot projects and continued monitoring will be essential in shaping the future of co-location of activities. As the Marine Management Organisation continues the development of marine plans for the English inshore and offshore waters, a study into potential solutions for resolving sea use conflicts is timely. This paper therefore provides a concise overview of the current regulation affecting co-location of key marine activities within wind farm zones and provides suggestions on how co-location projects can be adopted and taken forward, using the UK as a case study.     

Marine governance in an industrialised ocean: A case study of the emerging marine renewable energy industry

The world׳s oceans are currently undergoing an unprecedented period of industrialisation, made possible by advances in technology and driven by our growing need for food, energy and resources. This is placing the oceans are under intense pressure, and the ability of existing marine governance frameworks to sustainably manage the marine environment is increasingly being called into question. Emerging industries are challenging all aspects of these frameworks, raising questions regarding ownership and rights of the sea and its resources, management of environmental impacts, and management of ocean space. This paper uses the emerging marine renewable energy (MRE) industry, particularly in the United Kingdom (UK), as a case study to introduce and explore some of the key challenges. The paper concludes that the challenges are likely to be extensive and argues for development of a comprehensive legal research agenda to advance both MRE technologies and marine governance frameworks.     

Renewable energy from the ocean

Growing concern over the threat of global climate change has led to an increased interest in research and development of renewable energy technologies. The ocean provides a vast source of potential energy resources, and as renewable energy technology develops, investment in ocean energy is likely to grow. Research in ocean thermal energy conversion, wave energy, tidal energy, and offshore wind energy has led to promising technologies and in some cases, commercial deployment. These sources have the potential to help alleviate the global climate change threat, but the ocean environment should be protected while these technologies are developed. Renewable energy sources from the ocean may be exploited without harming the marine environment if projects are sited and scaled appropriately and environmental guidelines are followed.     

应用“跨零-能量”法估算海洋波浪再生能资源

海洋波浪能是一种可持续和零污染的再生能源,随着自然能源日渐匮乏和全球气候变化,人类对波浪能的开发利用显得尤其重要。本文应用"跨零—能量"波浪分析的新方法,首次推导了不规则波浪的波能流垂向分布及其理论计算公式。本文研究发现,浅水波能流具有均匀的垂向分布,深水波能流集中于海表层的水体中,过渡区波能流的垂向分布介于浅水和深水波能的分布之间。研究还发现,目前海洋波能流的估算方法和现今波浪发电装置的波能采集深度缺少相关性,过高估算了海洋波浪的可发电资源。     

海岛海洋能应用需求和发展建议探讨

海岛海洋能是海岛地区绿色、清洁、低碳的海洋可再生能源,主要包括海岛潮汐能、海岛潮流能、海岛波浪能、海岛温差能等,与海岛风能、海岛太阳能统称为海岛可再生能源。《海洋可再生能源发展"十三五"规划》明确提出"积极利用海岛可再生能源",为其开发利用指明了方向。我国海岛海洋能资源储量丰富,其开发利用有助于解决制约海岛发展、海上装备运行、深海资源开发等用电问题,对于调整海岛能源结构、保护海岛海洋生态环境也具有十分重要的战略意义。文章总结了发展海洋能的重要意义,描述了我国海洋能产业的发展现状,对海岛海洋能开发利用成果进行了梳理,分析了海洋能在海岛应用的需求及前景,从顶层设计、激励政策、实施科技创新、开放共享等方面给出了促进海岛海洋能产业化的发展建议。     

Frequent locations of oceanic fronts as an indicator of pelagic diversity: Application to marine protected areas and renewables

Frequent locations of thermal fronts in UK shelf seas were identified using an archive of 30,000 satellite images acquired between 1999 and 2008, and applied as a proxy for pelagic diversity in the designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Networks of MPAs are required for conservation of critical marine habitats within Europe, and there are similar initiatives worldwide. Many pelagic biodiversity hotspots are related to fronts, for example cetaceans and basking sharks around the Isle of Man, Hebrides and Cornwall, and hence remote sensing can address this policy need in regions with insufficient species distribution data. This is the first study of UK Continental Shelf front locations to use a 10-year archive of full-resolution (1.1 km) AVHRR data, revealing new aspects of their spatial and seasonal variability. Frontal locations determined at sea or predicted by ocean models agreed closely with the new frequent front maps, which also identified many additional frontal zones. These front maps were among the most widely used datasets in the recommendation of UK MPAs, and would be applicable to other geographic regions and to other policy drivers such as facilitating the deployment of offshore renewable energy devices with minimal environmental impact.     

Marine renewable energy: The ecological implications of altering the hydrodynamics of the marine environment

Many countries now recognise the need for mitigation of climate change induced by human activities and have incorporated renewable energy resources within their energy policy. There are extensive resources of renewable energy within the marine environment and increasing interest in extracting energy from locations with either large tidal range, rapid flow with and without wave interaction, or large wave resources. However, the ecological implications of altering the hydrodynamics of the marine environment are poorly understood. Ecological data for areas targeted for marine renewable developments are often limited, not least because of the considerable challenges to sampling in high energy environments. In order to predict the scale and nature of ecological implications there is a need for greater understanding of the distribution and extent of the renewable energy resource and in turn, of how marine renewable energy installations (MREIs) may alter energy in the environment. Regional ecological implications of a MREI need to be considered against the greater and global ecological threat of climate change. Finally, it is recommended that the identification of species and biotopes susceptible to the removal of hydrokinetic energy could be a suitable strategy for understanding how a MREI may alter flow conditions.     

Review on Tidal Energy Technologies and Research Subjects

Tidal current power is one of the promising and reliable renewable energies with the advantage of continuous and predictable resource. It can make stable electricity regardless of weather conditions or seasons all year around. The required technologies for tidal current power in the ocean have been developed for years and now recognized that it could be commercialized after intensive field tests and successful demonstrations. There are several tidal farm development projects in the world, such as the MeyGen project in UK with its commercialization at hand. However, various research subjects in the tidal current energy field are seeking improvements and industrialization of tidal current power in terms of economy and technical reliability. This paper introduces the resource assessment procedure of tidal energy that has been applied in Korea coastal regions. The key research subjects for tidal current power together with the interaction effect of multi-arrangement is described. Also, this paper is to introduce the research output of each subject such as turbine design, experimental validation, turbine interaction and wake, multi-array module, FSI (fluid-structure interaction), and duct application.     

Property rights in fishing: from state property towards private property?: A case study of three EU countries

Fishing limitations to protect fish stocks can develop to different types of property rights. A move towards full private rights is promoted by some authors. The article questions whether such a move is desirable and it also investigates whether private rights are indeed becoming more important in EU fisheries. A study on property rights in the Danish, Dutch and UK fishery (WP Davidse, ed., Property Rights in Fishing, LEI-DLO, The Hague, 1997, OV159) sector forms the background of this approach.Bromley’s definition of property rights (D W Bromley, Environment and Economy: Property Rights & Public Policy, Blackwell, Oxford, 1991), including ‘a right to a benefit stream’, has been used to identify rights in these three EU fishing sectors. These property rights regimes vary from a domination of state property, the Danish one, to a complete system of individual rights, the Dutch case. The UK position is between these extremes, showing characteristics of common property, apart from kinds of state- and individual property of fishing rights.The article ends with a consideration of the review of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 2002 from the viewpoint of property rights. Negotiations in the run up to 2002 will demonstrate conflicts between views on state property and on private property rights. This regards the tension between the principle of relative stability of quota allocations and the EU principle of free movement of capital, goods and services. Finally, two possibilities are suggested to combine both these principles.     

全球海域风能资源在不同季节的等级区划

在资源危机愈演愈烈的时代背景下,积极开发利用可再生能源将会对缓解能源危机、环境危机做出有益贡献,同时也必将成为“21世纪海上丝绸之路”建设的新亮点。利用来自欧洲中期天气预报中心（ECMWF）的ERA-Interim风场资料,本文制作了全球海域风能资源的年等级区划、季节等级区划。结果表明：从多年平均状态来看,全球海上风能资源的潜力巨大,南北半球西风带海域的风能等级为7级（最优等级）;中低纬大部分海域也比较乐观,多在4级以上;北冰洋的风能资源为4级,比传统估值乐观。北半球西风带7级风能资源的范围具有较大的季节性差异：1月最广,4月和10月次之,7月最小;南半球西风带的季节性差异则相对较小：7月相对最大,其余月份略小于7月。7月,阿拉伯海和孟加拉湾的风能资源都属于7级,明显比其余代表月丰富。4月和10月,北印度洋的风能资源整体贫乏,大部分区域为1级（最贫乏）。     

Coastal defence through wave farms

The possibility of using wave farms for coastal defence warrants investigation because wave energy is poised to become a major renewable in many countries over the next decades. The fundamental question in this regard is whether a wave farm can be used to reduce beach erosion under storm conditions. If the answer to this question is positive, then a wave farm can have coastal defence as a subsidiary function, in addition to its primary role of producing carbon-free energy. The objective of this work is to address this question by comparing the response of a beach in the face of a storm in two scenarios: with and without the wave farm. For this comparison a set of ad hoc impact indicators is developed: the bed level impact (BLI), beach face eroded area (FEA), non-dimensional erosion reduction (NER), and mean cumulative eroded area (CEA); and their values are determined by means of two coupled models: a high-resolution wave propagation model (SWAN) and a coastal processes model (XBeach). The study is conducted through a case study: Perranporth Beach (UK). Backed by a well-developed dune system, Perranporth has a bar between − 5 m and − 10 m. The results show that the wave farm reduces the eroded volume by as much as 50% and thus contributes effectively to coastal protection. This synergy between marine renewable energy and coastal defence may well contribute to improving the viability of wave farms through savings in conventional coastal protection.     

崇明“绿色能源岛”示范区建设初探

"能源岛"技术是国际上近几年发展起来的一种新的能源供应概念和方式,它将高品值的电力与低品值的热、冷3种能量需求有效地统一起来,从而大幅提高能源利用效率,减少碳化物及有害气体的排放,是未来新能源发展的趋势。在充分调查崇明岛自然环境、投资环境、可再生能源储量的基础上,对崇明建设以可再生能源为基础的"绿色能源岛"建设进行综合评价,并提出"能源岛"建设的初步建议,为上海沿海可再生能源开发利用提供了一定的参考。     

Biodiversity offsets for offshore wind farm projects: The current situation in Europe

The European Union׳s energy policy aims to increase the proportion of energy derived from renewable sources in Europe. Marine renewable energy, offshore wind energy especially, contributes to the renewable energy mix. Offshore wind farms appear to be clean, and are supported by governments and NGOs as a way to reduce the use of conventional energy resources and thus decrease greenhouse gas emissions. However, developing infrastructure in marine areas can impact marine ecosystems. European directives ask offshore wind farm developers to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) including a mitigation hierarchy, i.e. envisaging measures that would avoid, reduce, and if possible offset significant adverse effects on ecosystems and human activities. This paper reviews EIA reports from seven European countries and is focused on impacts on the open water marine environment. According to the reports, measures have been taken for avoiding and reducing impacts, so there should be no significant negative residual impacts and hence no need of offsets. But the mitigation hierarchy for ecological impacts seems to have been incompletely implemented, because it is unlikely that there are no significant residual impacts. The paper proposes some technical and ecological explanations, followed by some governance and social explanations, for the absence of biodiversity offsets.     

Rights and ownership in sea country: implications of marine renewable energy for indigenous and local communities

The adoption of UN Convention of the Law of the Sea in 1982 created optimism for indigenous peoples and marginalised coastal communities that they may (re)gain control of, or improve access to, marine resources. However concerns were also raised that opening the seas to industrial development might create threats for traditional users of the sea. Twenty-five years later the potential enclosure of large areas of coastal seas to marine renewable energy development is reigniting debates about marine governance, access and control over marine resources. Case studies in Scotland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia reveal a dynamic tension between: an economic development ‘blue growth’ agenda requiring the creation of private rights in the sea; and socio-political drivers which seek to address historic injustices and increase access to natural resources by indigenous and marginalised coastal communities. As yet there is little evidence of this tension being adequately addressed by emerging institutional frameworks for managing marine resources.