Congress Provides Boost to Emerging Marine Renewables

Seattle, Washington Signed by the President on Wednesday as part of the Energy ndependence and Security Act of 2007 (the "EISAct"), the Marine and Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Research and Development Act (the "Act") could provide a significant boost to the development of ocean, tidal, and run-of-river energy in the United States.

The Act covers "marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy" sources, a term that encompasses wave, tidal, current and ocean thermal energy conversion, as well as electrical energy produced from free-flowing rivers, lakes, streams and man-made channels. Traditional hydropower generated by dams, diversionary structures or impoundments is expressly excluded from the definition of "marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy."

The Act authorizes an appropriation of $50 million to the Secretary of Energy for each of the fiscal years from 2008 through 2012 to carry out the following programs:

Establishment of a research and development program, in consultation with the Department of the Interior and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that will focus both on developing and refining existing hydrokinetic renewable energy technologies, and on associated research into issues such as advance wave forecasting technologies, integration of marine and hydrokinetic energy into the utility grid, reliability and survivability of equipment and reduction of manufacturing and operating costs. Included in this program is an assessment of potential environmental impacts of hydrokinetic renewable energy technologies, and measures to prevent or mitigate these impacts.
Provision of grants to universities for the establishment of "National Marine Renewable Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Centers" that will advance research and development into the commercial application of marine renewable energy. This section of the EISAct will likely be of great interest to Oregon State University’s Wave Energy Team.

Although the Act does not address some of the regulatory hurdles faced by segments of the emerging marine and hydrokinetic renewable industry², if funded, this program does have the potential to provide needed support to this fast-growing field. One of the unique challenges facing the marine and hydrokinetic renewable industry is the lack of information about how these new technologies will affect existing human and ecological uses of the environment within which they will be placed. The Act holds great promise in gathering that information and data, and has the potential to reduce the uncertainty that surrounds this young industry.

For more information, contact Ashley Henry, Energy Industry Liaison, 503-294-9506 or ahenry@stoel.com

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