The document discusses confrontation versus mitigation in the development of marine renewable energy. It notes that developers, energy companies, fishing sectors, and environmental groups have potential conflicts that could lead to confrontation. To avoid this, it emphasizes the need for baseline monitoring before development, modeling cumulative impacts, and establishing common monitoring standards. It then describes various monitoring techniques and the SUNTANS numerical model that can help predict environmental effects to inform mitigation and facilitate understanding between stakeholders.

1. Towards understanding the Environmental Consequences of Marine Renewable Energy Confrontation vs Mitigation EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 Dr. Susana Bastón Meira Research associate in the ICIT- International Centre for Island Technology

2. Contents Motivation Confrontation vs Mitigation Monitoring techniques Capabilities of numerical models SUNTANS model Conclusions EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010

3. Motivation EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 The first Marine Energy Converters (MECs) have been tested at EMEC’s site (European Marine Energy Centre) Several developers are located in Orkney The Pentland Firth and Orkney waters have been recently provided licences by Crown Estate for ‘Round 1’ development sites. The ICIT, part of Heriot-Watt University, is involved in a MRE research programme

4. Motivation EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 Coastal physical processes Hydrodynamics and water column processes Pelagic and benthic dynamics Ecosystem considerations and consequences SRDG (Strategic Research Development Grant) funded by the Scottish Funding Council WP 5: ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS www.mreds.co.uk M arine R enewable E nergy D evelopment in S cotland (MREDS)

5. Confrontation vs Mitigation EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 MRE has the potential to cause conflict among interested parties: Developers and energy companies Fishing sector and Environmental groups Key points Baseline before development takes place. Need to model cumulative impacts Monitoring and predicting environmental effects Common standards Time pressure

6. Confrontation vs Mitigation EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 Potential negative impacts Species displacement Environmental conditions Colision risks Noise

7. Confrontation vs Mitigation EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 How good is the energy resource? How the energy is dissipated? Long term and far-field effects Scale up to arrays

8. Monitoring techniques EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 c) Acoustic Backscatter Systems (ABS): Suspended sediment profiles close to the sea bed Moorings and Buoys Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) Current profiles and sediment flux b) Wave buoys: 2D wave spectra at a point

9. Monitoring techniques EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 a) Satellite observations Optical wavelengths: suspended sediment concentrations Dopplerised SAR imagery: currents b) High Frequency (HF) Radar: surface currents and wave spectra Remote sensing a) ROV (Remote Observation Vehicles) b) Gliders ROVs and Floats

10. Capabilities of numerical models EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 Initial site selection, mitigate impact, maximise efficiency Predict effects of installation of MECs and extraction of energy from a flow field Near and far field spatial information Long term temporal modelling Accurate predictions of nutrients and sediment transport in coastal waters MRE development Environmental impacts Availability Prediction tool Efficiency Ecological models

11. SUNTANS model EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 u, v, w are Cartesian components of velocity u is the vector form of velocity q the non-hydrostatic component of pressure η is the free surface elevation f and b are the Coriolis terms υ H and υ V are the horizontal and vertical turbulent eddy viscosities ∇ H the horizontal gradient operator: SUNTANS is a numerical model designed for the simulation of complex, non-hydrostatic coastal, river and estuarine flows with high resolution on unstructured grids using parallel computers.

12. SUNTANS model EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 Resource: Dr Rob Harris 1 , Dr Karl Stephen 2 , Prof Margot Gerritsen 3 1.- ICIT/HWU, 2.- IPE/HWU, 3.- Stanford University

13. SUNTANS model EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 Bottom density currents at high latitudes Super critical flows related to topography in fjords and inlets Hydrostatic approximation: Equilibrium between pressure gradient and gravitational force SUNTANS is Non-hydrostatic: When a fluid is in motion, the vertical pressure gradient is also influenced by the vertical acceleration and friction  non-hydrostatic pressure effects P = p + q Static pressure + Dynamic pressure

14. SUNTANS model EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010

15. The developer and the environmentalist/ecologist must avoid Confrontation and achieve Mitigation for successful growth of the marine renewable industry There is a common demand from all stakeholders: the definition of a standard monitoring protocol and a clearer understanding of physical conditions and environmental effects There is a requirement for cost effective accurate long term spatial modelling of the environment The SUNTANS model is a valuable tool, capable of providing information leading to a better understanding of the resource and intervention effects at MEC sites. Reducing confrontation and facilitating mitigation through improved understanding. Conclusions EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010

16. Towards understanding the Environmental Consequences of Marine Renewable Energy Confrontation vs Mitigation EMBS – Edinburgh, 25 th August 2010 Thanks for your attention! Email: S.Baston@hw.ac.uk http://www.icit.org.uk/