Florida Governor Charlie Crist has proclaimed November 1-7, 2010 as “Ocean Renewable Energy Week” in Florida in observance of a national conference being hosted by the Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center (SNMREC) in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University. “Renewable Ocean Energy & the Marine Environment: Responsible Stewardship for a Sustainable Future,” will bring together national and international leaders in ocean renewable energy to explore cutting-edge science and technology to identify gaps in the current state of knowledge regarding the environmental impacts of marine renewable energy. The conference is taking place November 3-5, 2010 at PGA National Resort, 400 Avenue of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Conference topics will cover oceanography, benthic environments, pelagic environments, coastal environments, reefs and fish, data management, and the social and economic implications of renewable ocean energy.
“We are truly honored that Governor Crist has designated this week to coincide with our first conference in our official role as a nationally-designated center in ocean renewable energy technology,” said FAU President Mary Jane Saunders. “Bringing together academic researchers, technology developers from industry, federal and state agency scientists, and environmental interest groups will help to ensure that our Center is a responsible steward in moving forward to provide our citizens with cost-effective and clean energy.”
Marine ecosystems include many protected species which rely on complex food chains and undertake extensive migration patterns. Although single experimental generating systems are unlikely to have significant effects on the physical environment, large, commercial-scale arrays could have an impact. Participants at the conference will explore how testing platforms and facilities can be used effectively, while protecting complex marine ecosystems. They will identify, address and determine how to minimize and mitigate potential impacts in order to use renewable ocean energy using an approach that is environmentally and socially sound.
“The effects on the marine environment of large-scale hydrokinetic and thermal power generation are largely unknown,” said Susan Skemp, executive director of SNMREC. “Understanding how the operations of power generation systems will interact with marine ecosystems will be a critical first step toward deploying ocean energy equipment in a sustainable manner.”
Presenters at the conference represent SNMREC, FAU, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Interior, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Northwest Marine Renewable Energy Center, the Hawaii National Marine Renewable Energy Center, the European Marine Energy Center, the California Natural Resources Agency, Ocean Conservancy, Oregon State University and Oregon Sea Grant, Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, URI Coastal Resources Center and Rhode Island Sea Grant, Sea Mammal Research Unit and Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom, Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research and Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy in Canada, and BioSonics, Inc.
November 2, 2010