Engineering topics

Jones, Kristin M.

Publications and source records attributed to Jones, Kristin M..

5 records

DOE OSTI2024

CEERP SM3 Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation Workshop: Summary Report

The Columbia Estuary Ecosystem Restoration Program (CEERP) workshop, “CEERP Synthesis Memorandum (SM3): Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation,” was held in Portland, Oregon on June 24–25 2024. A diverse group of 26 domain experts with demonstrated knowledge and experience working in the Lower Columbia River Estuary (LCRE) participated. The workshop supported development of the forthcoming third Synthesis Memorandum for CEERP. The workshop furthered the collaborative understanding of the state of the science regarding the LCRE, helped to identify remaining knowledge gaps and uncertainties, and assisted in the prioritization of future restoration research and monitoring.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Recent Advances in Assessing Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy Around the World

Marine renewable energy (MRE) is increasingly of interest to coastal nations as a source of renewable energy that can support climate change mitigation goals as well as provide secure locally-produced energy for coastal and island communities. MRE extracts power from tidal streams, waves, ocean currents, run of rivers, and gradients in the ocean, with specialized devices developed and tested for each energy resource. Alongside development of MRE technologies and systems, first in Europe and then in North America, Australia, Asia, and other regions, it has been universally recognized that there is also a need to examine potential effects on marine animals, habitats, ecosystem processes, local communities and other sea users, to ensure that the MRE industry can be developed in a responsible and sustainable manner. This paper looks at the status of assessment and monitoring for potential environmental effects associated with MRE projects around the world. Over 80 projects were identified worldwide as having been tested, demonstrated, or commercially deployed with associated environmental monitoring. Five of the projects that represent tidal stream, wave, and run of river projects are examined in more detail to determine the types of data and information collected for those projects, the outputs of the monitoring campaigns, and the actions taken as a result of the data collection and analysis. Recommendations are provided for standardization of the monitoring approaches, instruments, and analysis methods at MRE project sites worldwide.

marine renewable energy, environmental effects, ri↗

DOE OSTI2024

Preliminary Workforce Development and Environmental and Co-use Management Plans for a Floating Offshore Wind Platform - CRADA 609 (Final Report)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) provided technical assistance to Glosten, Inc. and its affiliate, PelaStar, LLC to advance the development of their floating offshore wind (FOSW) platform. PNNL provided guidance and assessment in two areas that are important to address in the development of FOSW platforms: (1) workforce development and (2) environmental impacts and ocean co-use considerations. This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) through Phase 2 of the FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize. It should be noted that the Plans presented in this report are specific to the PelaStar tension-leg platform (TLP) and may not be applicable to all FOSW platforms. Workforce development and environmental/co-use impacts are highly dependent on the geographical region in which activities take place. At the request of PelaStar, PNNL focused on two regions where development may take place: the Gulf of Maine and Northern California. PNNL generated a preliminary Workforce Development Plan for PelaStar, which includes estimated job numbers and skillsets required to establish a workforce to manufacture, install, and operate their platform as part of FOSW projects. The Plan offers methods to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion practices when developing a new workforce and includes colleges and training centers for potential recruitment. Both positive and negative impacts to communities are evaluated, with potential mitigation strategies for reducing negative impacts. The structure of Community Benefit Agreements and Project Labor Agreements are discussed, noting the limitations of the role of a platform manufacturer versus the offshore wind developer. PNNL also drafted a preliminary Environmental and Co-Use Management Plan that serves as a guide to preparing an environmental assessment related to the installation and operation of PelaStar’s unique TLP design, including its potential ecological, socioeconomic, and emissions impacts. The Plan summarizes information on relevant regulatory requirements, potential impact producing factors, monitoring and mitigation measures, and physical and biological resources in the Gulf of Maine and Northern California. One of the primary perceived benefits of the PelaStar TLP is its reduced footprint due to its tensioned tendons versus catenary or taut moorings, but more research must be done as there are no studies on PelaStar’s TLP system to-date. The section also highlights ocean co-use considerations for PelaStar’s TLP system, specifically for fisheries, including existing perspectives, methods, examples, and limitations. The PNNL team established through this preliminary work and review of available literature and resources that there is not yet much research or planning around FOSW. With FOSW being a new industry, many of the findings and planning are adapted from fixed bottom offshore wind, which itself is only just taking off in the United States. More research is needed to establish best practices for workforce development and to assess environmental and ocean co-use impacts and mitigation approaches.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Animal displacement from marine energy development: Mechanisms and consequences

For marine wave and tidal energy to successfully contribute to global renewable energy goals and climate change mitigation, marine energy projects need to expand beyond small deployments to large-scale arrays. However, with large-scale projects come potential environmental effects not observed at the scales of single devices and small arrays. One of these effects is the risk of displacing marine animals from their preferred habitats or their migration routes, which may increase with the size of arrays and location. Many marine animals may be susceptible to some level of displacement once large marine energy arrays are increasingly integrated into the seascape, including large migratory animals, non-migratory pelagic animals with large home ranges, and benthic and demersal mobile organisms with more limited ranges, among many others. Yet, research around the mechanisms and effects of displacement have been hindered by the lack of clarity within the international marine energy community regarding the definition of displacement, how it occurs, its consequences, species of concern, and methods to investigate the outcomes. This review paper leveraged lessons learned from other industries, such as offshore development, to establish a definition of displacement in the marine energy context, explore which functional groups of marine animals may be affected and in what way, and identify pathways for investigating displacement through modeling and monitoring. In the marine energy context, we defined displacement as the outcome of one of three mechanisms (i.e., attraction, avoidance, and exclusion) triggered by an animal's response to one or more stressors acting as a disturbance, with various consequences at the individual through population levels. The knowledge gaps highlighted in this study will help the regulatory and scientific communities prepare for mitigating, observing, measuring, and characterizing displacement of various animals around marine energy arrays in order to prevent irreversible consequences.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

DOE OSTI2023

Low Tidal Current Speed Electricity Generation for Power at an Aquaculture Farm

Aquaculture farms are often located where tidal currents speeds are strong enough to ensure the currents supply fresh nutrients but not so strong that they harm the farm infrastructure. Traditional tidal turbines have cut-in speeds of 1 m/s and cannot generate electricity at current speeds below that threshold. Current energy converters that rely on vortex induced vibration (VIV) for movement can generate electricity at current speeds below 1 m/s. Here we discuss a project where researchers from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) collaborate with researchers from the University of Michigan to investigate the feasibility of using a VIV current energy converter to generate electricity at an aquaculture farm. The VIV current energy converter uses flow induced oscillations of tandem cylinders and adaptive damping to harness the maximum horizontal marine hydrokinetic (MHK) energy by mimicking fish undulations. The current energy converter will be field tested and its power output measured over a range of current speeds. In addition to working with the University of Michigan, the PNNL researchers are collaborating with the Hog Island Oyster Company to assess their electricity usage and quantify the current energy resources at their Humboldt Bay facility. The electricity usage and current resource assessment at the aquaculture farm will be compared to the power produced by VIVACE to determine the feasibility of using VIVACE for power production at the farm.

Branch, Ruth A.↗