Abstract
Wave energy conversion is a clean electric power production technology. During operation there are no emissions in the form of harmful gases. However there are unsolved issues considering environmental impacts such as: electromagnetism; the artificial reef effect and underwater noise. Anthropogenic noise is increasing in the oceans worldwide and wave power will contribute to this sound pollution in the oceans; but to what extent? The main purpose of this study was to examine the noise emitted by a full scale operating Wave Energy Converter (WEC) in the Lysekil project at Uppsala University in Sweden. A minor review of the hearing capabilities of fish and marine mammals is presented to aid in the conclusions of impact from anthropogenic sound. A hydrophone was deployed to the seabed in the Lysekil research site park at distance of 20 and 40 m away from two operational WECs. The measurements were performed in the spring of 2011. The results showed that the main noise was a transient noise with most of its energy in frequencies below 1 kHz. These results indicate that several marine organisms (fish and mammals) will be able to hear the operating WECs of a distance of at least 20 m.
Highlights
Wave energy conversion is a potential clean electric energy conversion with no emissions during operation
The results showed that the main noise was a transient noise with most of its energy in frequencies below 1 kHz. These results indicate that several marine organisms will be able to hear the operating Wave Energy Converter (WEC) of a distance of at least 20 m
The measurements showed that the main sound emitted from the WECs was a transient/pulse noise
Summary
Wave energy conversion is a potential clean electric energy conversion with no emissions during operation. Wave energy conversion has existed for many years but only recently different concepts such as Pelamis, Archimedes Wave Swing (AWS), Wave Dragon and the Lysekil Project, has been tested in real offshore environment [1,2,3,4]. Environmental studies on these different techniques are needed to get a truly sustainable source of energy. There are some studies on environmental effects concerning Wave Energy Converters (WECs) and artificial reef effect They have shown an increase in biomass and biodiversity locally around the WEC. The operation of the WEC will produce vibrations and sounds which may affect the surrounding marine life
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