2020 State of the Science: Report Says Marine Energy Devices Likely to Pose Minimal Risk to Marine Life
6/22/2020
Last week, Ocean Energy Systems (OES)-Environmental’s 2020 State of the Science report, a collaborative effort of the International Energy Agency’s OES-Environmental, found marine energy devices are likely to pose minimal risk to marine life.
The report assessed the effects of marine energy devices on the environment once deployed. The report took into account several stressors including, collision with a device; underwater noise generated by a device; electromagnetic fields emitted by cabling or a device; encounters with mooring systems and sub-sea cables; and changes in habitat and oceanographic systems.
As marine energy device deployment increases, the monitoring of the relationship between stressors and marine life will help in identifying the stressors with a greater risk of environmental impact.
