Abstract
The marine renewable energy (MRE; renewable energy captured from waves, tides, ocean currents, the natural flow of water in rivers, and marine thermal gradients, without building new dams or diversions) industry has a vital role in the U.S. clean energy strategy as we progress to meet U.S. electricity and blue economy needs with renewable, domestic energy sources. However, a thorough assessment of the U.S. marine energy permitting process from the viewpoints of both developers that propose projects and regulators that permit them has not been performed. Sharing practical experiences in this new industry is vital to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the permitting process, identify data and information gaps, develop lessons learned, and advance the industry. This paper is a case study of qualitative findings, lessons learned, and recommendations from guided discussions, workshops, and webinars with both marine renewable energy developers and state and federal regulators that have experience in the permitting process in the U.S.
Highlights
The marine renewable energy (MRE) industry has a vital role in the U.S clean energy strategy as we progress to meet U.S electricity and blue economy needs with domestic energy sources (ClearPath, 2021 [1])
The project team presented the strategies and actions developed to 53 stakeholders, including developers and regulators, to solicit feedback on the relative priority of actions associated with each strategy
Lack of technical knowledge refers to the knowledge gaps that regulators and developers found most challenging during the permitting and licensing process
Summary
The marine renewable energy (MRE) industry has a vital role in the U.S clean energy strategy as we progress to meet U.S electricity and blue economy needs with domestic energy sources (ClearPath, 2021 [1]). Sharing practical experiences in this new industry is vital to develop lessons learned to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the permitting process, identify data and information gaps, and advance the industry. Developers have identified the cost and time for environmental permitting and compliance as major development hurdles (Copping et al, 2020 [2]), a lack of information sharing and review of the permitting process has created significant challenges for the MRE industry. Environmental review of Verdant Power’s Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project (Verdant Power, 2011 [4]). These projects are a start, but other projects, such as Admiralty
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