Triton Field Trials: Promoting Consistent Environmental Monitoring Methodologies for Marine Energy Sites

Simon Geerlofs,Margaret Pinza,Genevra Harker-Klimeš,Samantha L Eaves,Garrett Staines

doi:10.3390/jmse10020177

Abstract

Uncertainty surrounding the potential environmental impacts of marine energy (ME) has resulted in extensive and expensive environmental monitoring requirements for ME deployments. Recently, there have been more ME deployments and associated environmental data collection efforts, but no standardized methodologies for data collection. This hinders the use of previously collected data to inform new ME project permitting efforts. Triton Field Trials (TFiT), created at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory by the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy, explores ways to promote more consistent environmental data collection and enable data transferability across ME device types and locations. Documents from 118 previous ME projects or ME-related research studies in the U.S. and internationally were reviewed to identify the highest priority stressor–receptor relationships to be investigated and the technologies and methodologies used to address them. Thirteen potential field sites were assessed to determine suitable locations for testing the performance of relevant monitoring technologies. This introductory paper provides an overview of how priority research areas and associated promising technologies were identified as well as how testing locations were identified for TFiT activities. Through these scoping efforts, TFiT focused on four activity areas: collision risk, underwater noise, electromagnetic fields, and changes in habitat. Technologies and methodologies were tested at field sites in Alaska, Washington, California, and New Hampshire. Detailed information on the effectiveness of the identified methodologies and specific recommendations for each of the four focus areas are included in the companion papers in this Special Issue.

Highlights

Marine energy (ME), which includes wave, tidal, ocean current, free-flowing river, and ocean thermal energy conversion, is an emerging renewable energy source
Peplinski et al [2] evaluated the cost of environmental compliance for wave, tidal, and ocean/river current projects in the U.S Of the 19 projects evaluated, only 8 projects had detailed financial records that allowed for an estimation of the environmental compliance contribution to the total project cost
While these environmental compliance costs include activities such as regulatory agency coordination and stakeholder engagement, there are opportunities to reduce the costs associated with environmental monitoring technologies

Summary

Introduction

Marine energy (ME), which includes wave, tidal, ocean current, free-flowing river, and ocean thermal energy conversion, is an emerging renewable energy source. The uncertainty surrounding the potential environmental impacts of ME commonly resulted in extensive and expensive environmental monitoring requirements for the first devices to be deployed at test sites and in fully energetic wave and tidal systems [1,2]. Traditional oceanographic monitoring technologies are not designed to function optimally in the high-energy, low-light conditions where ME devices would be sited. The adaptations of existing technologies or the development of new technologies are needed to effectively address the monitoring requirements [3,4]. In 2013, the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE), Water Power Technologies Office sponsored a workshop to examine the capabilities of and gaps in current environmental monitoring technologies for ME, and to identify potential solutions for the most prominent environmental concerns. The overarching findings of the workshop were that there is a significant need for (1) the automation of data processing and analysis, (2)

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