scholarly journals Artificial Reef Effect in relation to Offshore Renewable Energy Conversion: State of the Art

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Langhamer

The rapid worldwide growth of offshore renewable energy production will provide marine organisms with new hard substrate for colonization, thus acting as artificial reefs. The artificial reef effect is important when constructing, for example, scour protections since it can generate an enhanced habitat. Specifically, artificial structures can create increased heterogeneity in the area important for species diversity and density. Offshore energy installations also have the positive side effect as they are a sanctuary area for trawled organisms. Higher survival of fish and bigger fish is an expected outcome that can contribute to a spillover to outer areas. One negative side effect is that invasive species can find new habitats in artificial reefs and thus influence the native habitats and their associated environment negatively. Different scour protections in offshore wind farms can create new habitats compensating for habitat loss by offshore energy installations. These created habitats differ from the lost habitat in species composition substantially. A positive reef effect is dependent on the nature and the location of the reef and the characteristics of the native populations. An increase in surface area of scour protections by using specially designed material can also support the reef effect and its productivity.

Hydrobiologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ninon Mavraki ◽  
Steven Degraer ◽  
Jan Vanaverbeke

AbstractOffshore wind farms (OWFs) act as artificial reefs, attracting high abundances of fish, which could potentially increase their local production. This study investigates the feeding ecology of fish species that abundantly occur at artificial habitats, such as OWFs, by examining the short- and the long-term dietary composition of five species: the benthopelagic Gadus morhua and Trisopterus luscus, the pelagic Scomber scombrus and Trachurus trachurus, and the benthic Myoxocephalus scorpioides. We conducted combined stomach content and stable isotope analyses to examine the short- and the time-integrated dietary composition, respectively. Our results indicated that benthopelagic and benthic species utilize artificial reefs, such as OWFs, as feeding grounds for a prolonged period, since both analyses indicated that they exploit fouling organisms occurring exclusively on artificial hard substrates. Trachurus trachurus only occasionally uses artificial reefs as oases of highly abundant resources. Scomber scombrus does not feed on fouling fauna and therefore its augmented presence in OWFs is probably related to reasons other than the enhanced food availability. The long-termed feeding preferences of benthic and benthopelagic species contribute to the hypothesis that the artificial reefs of OWFs could potentially increase the fish production in the area. However, this was not supported for the pelagic species.


2014 ◽  
Vol 521 ◽  
pp. 703-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Feng Li ◽  
Su Hua Ma ◽  
Xiao Dong Shen

Storage of energy generated by offshore wind farms still addresses one of the vexing problems inherent in offshore renewable energy such as offshore wind or solar energy how to store excess energy. Researchers tried to apply concrete in the energy storage of offshore wind farm recently, including the OTEC artificial energy islands, the MITS Ocean Renewable Energy Storage (ORES) and Belgiums energy atoll, and the progresses were reviewed.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 978
Author(s):  
Paweł Ziemba

In recent years, the dynamic development of renewable energy has been visible all over the world, including Poland. Wind energy is one of the most used renewable energy sources. In Poland, by 2030, it is planned to commission at least six offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 3.8 GW. It is estimated that these investments will increase Poland’s GDP by approximately PLN 60 billion and increase tax revenues by PLN 15 billion. Therefore, they could be a strong stimulus for the development of the Polish economy and may be of great importance in recovering from the crisis caused by the economic constraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the article is a multi-criteria evaluation of the investments planned in Poland in offshore wind farms and identification of potentially the most economically effective investments. To account for the uncertainty in this decision problem, a modified fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method was used and a comprehensive sensitivity analysis was performed. As a result of the research, a ranking of the considered projects was constructed and the most preferred investments were identified. Moreover, it has been shown that all the investments considered are justified and recommended.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.L. Basu

Abstract. With the depleting non-renewable fuel sources like coal and an ever-increasing demand for energy, we need to start looking into renewable energy sources. These are of paramount importance for a sustainable and green future. Wind Energy is one of the most important sources of renewable energy. But, setting up a wind farm requires considerable land area and land acquisitions are often faced with legal hurdles. This necessitates setting up offshore wind turbines. But, when we talk about offshore wind farms, we need to address the age-old phenomenon: “Turbulence”. Presently, we are trying to develop enhanced controllers for wind farms which will increase the efficiency of the wind farms. The effects of rapidly changing wake aerodynamics i.e. breakdown of strong tip and hub vortices mixed up with low intensity turbulence in the inflow of the rotor and counter-rotation of the wake i.e. determinate velocity component in wake turbulence field will affect the overall performance of the wind farm. This paper provides a brief review on Rapid Distortion Theory (RDT) to model the turbulence.


2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-205
Author(s):  
Minkyu Park ◽  
Seongjun Park ◽  
Byungcheol Seong ◽  
Yeonjeong Choi ◽  
Sokhee P. Jung

This review comprehensively reviewed floating offshore wind power generation technology, which is being newly developed as a mid- to long-term plan for wind energy. From the perspective of investment per megawatt (MW), offshore wind power is still about 50 percent more expensive than land wind power. Nevertheless, many advanced countries began to investigate the data because they wondered why they were immersed in development and investment, and why offshore wind facilities installed on the beach and floating offshore wind installed in the middle of the sea, unlike the land wind we knew. We looked at the basic principles of offshore wind power generation and the technologies used in facilities, and looked at the advantages and disadvantages of offshore wind power generation compared to land wind power generation, and what differences between fixed offshore wind farms and floating offshore wind farms. It is investigated whether it is a realistic plan to verify residents’ opposition to the installation of offshore wind power facilities, the possibility of commercialization such as high operational management costs, and the feasibility of installing facilities for renewable energy 3020 as mid- to long-term goals. In addition, it compares foreign cases with offshore wind power development complexes in Korea, marine wind power generation complexes in operation, and high wind power in Scotland, the first floating offshore wind power in Ulsan, Korea, to overcome difficulties in installing facilities and suggest directions for domestic offshore wind power development. In addition, in Korea, where there are not many countries suitable for wind power generation unlike overseas, it was decided to investigate whether floating offshore wind power could be the answer as planned. The reason why the government is pushing for investment in renewable energy such as solar power and wind power is because energy sources from the sun are eco-friendly. However, the U.S. and Europe, which started the wind power project early, are having difficulty in handling the wings of wind power generators. The energy source looked at the contradictions caused by environmental pollution in the treatment of waste, although it was environmentally friendly, and investigated how waste was treated and utilized overseas. Compared to other countries that entered the offshore wind power business earlier, domestic power generation projects are in their infancy and should focus on developing technology and co-prosperity with neighboring residents rather than on excessive expansion.


Author(s):  
Rakesh K. Saigal ◽  
Dan Dolan ◽  
Armen Der Kiureghian ◽  
Tim Camp ◽  
Charles E. Smith

This paper addresses the need for U.S. standards to establish design requirements for offshore wind turbine support structures. There are wind power resources in U.S. waters that can be developed to generate substantial amounts of clean, renewable energy. While a number of offshore wind farms have been proposed for U.S. waters none have been built. The U.S. Minerals Management Service and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have recently commissioned a study to compare and benchmark the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) design standards with the American Petroleum Institute (API) recommended practices. Offshore wind farms that are operating in Europe have been designed using standards developed specifically for offshore wind, such as those developed by Germanischer Lloyd (GL) and Det Norske Veritas (DNV). The IEC has recently drafted design requirements specifically for offshore wind farms that provides a comprehensive definition of load conditions and references other standards, where needed, to provide a complete guidance document. The intent of this paper is to examine the range of applicability of the various design standards and to assess how these standards apply to the design of U.S. offshore wind turbine (OWT) support structures.


Author(s):  
Fatih Karipoğlu

In Turkey, current energy generations are not sufficient for the existing energy needs and besides, energy demand is expected to increase by 4-6% percent annually until 2023. Therefore, the government aims to increase the ratio of renewable energy sources in total installed capacity to 30 percent by 2023. Turkey has three quarter seas around itself. So, Turkey has a high level offshore wind potential for energy generations. But there are not any offshore wind farms in Turkey seas. In this study, we aimed at assessing the viability of establishing offshore wind farms of Marmara Sea and to identify favorable sites for such farms using Geographical Information System (GIS) procedures and algorithms. GIS layers were created and a weighted overlay GIS model based on the above mentioned criteria was built to identify suitable sites for hosting a new offshore wind farm. Furthermore, EMODnet (the European Marine Observation and Data Network) and GWA (Global Wind Atlas) were employed for data acquisition to unlock fragmented and hidden marine data resources and to facilitate investment in sustainable coastal and offshore activities. Received technical, social and environmental data from different sources were processed in the GIS and we created the GIS-based model. Results showed that most of Marmara Sea offshore areas were unsuitable. There are only two suitable areas. It is apparent that the growth of offshore wind farms in Turkey will increase provided that the supporting mechanism and the necessary legislation are ensured.  


Author(s):  
andrew b. gill ◽  
joel a. kimber

the uk government's strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to meet carbon mitigation obligations and the wider aims on sustainable development has provided the impetus for a rapid growth in activity associated with offshore renewable energy, particularly offshore wind farms. recently, consents for offshore renewable energy development (ored) were approved in three strategic areas—the outer thames estuary, the greater wash and the eastern irish sea. the scale of the planned developments means that each will have a large environmental footprint and multiple ored will have a cumulative effect on the environment. here we discuss current understanding of ored construction, operation and decommissioning with regard to the potential interaction with elasmobranchs because of the worrying status of elasmobranch populations within the uk coastal zone. based on the likely interactions between elasmobranchs and ored a framework is proposed which aims to promote cooperative initiatives between elasmobranch conservation management and the offshore renewables industry.


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