An evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's marine and hydrokinetic resource assessments / Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Technology Assessment Committee, Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, Ocean Studies Board, Division on Earth and Life Studies, National Research Council of the National Academies.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Technology Assessment, author.

Contributor:

National Research Council (U.S.). Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, issuing body.

National Research Council (U.S.). Ocean Studies Board, issuing body.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ocean energy resources--Technological innovations--United States.

Ocean energy resources.

Water-power--Technological innovations--United States.

Water-power.

Renewable energy sources--United States.

Renewable energy sources.

Technology assessment--United States.

Technology assessment.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (169 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, District of Columbia : National Academies Press, [2013]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Increasing renewable energy development, both within the United States and abroad, has rekindled interest in the potential for marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) resources to contribute to electricity generation. These resources derive from ocean tides, waves, and currents; temperature gradients in the ocean; and free-flowing rivers and streams. One measure of the interest in the possible use of these resources for electricity generation is the increasing number of permits that have been filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). As of December 2012, FERC had issued 4 licenses and 84 preliminary permits, up from virtually zero a decade ago. However, most of these permits are for developments along the Mississippi River, and the actual benefit realized from all MHK resources is extremely small. The first U.S. commercial gridconnected project, a tidal project in Maine with a capacity of less than 1 megawatt (MW), is currently delivering a fraction of that power to the grid and is due to be fully installed in 2013. As part of its assessment of MHK resources, DOE asked the National Research Council (NRC) to provide detailed evaluations. In response, the NRC formed the Committee on Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Technology Assessment. As directed in its statement of task (SOT), the committee first developed an interim report, released in June 2011, which focused on the wave and tidal resource assessments (Appendix B). The current report contains the committee's evaluation of all five of the DOE resource categories as well as the committee's comments on the overall MHK resource assessment process. This summary focuses on the committee's overarching findings and conclusions regarding a conceptual framework for developing the resource assessments, the aggregation of results into a single number, and the consistency across and coordination between the individual resource assessments. Critiques of the individual resource assessment, further discussion of the practical MHK resource base, and overarching conclusions and recommendations are explained in An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessment.

Contents:

""Front matter""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Contents""; ""Figures, Tables, and Boxes""; ""Summary""; ""1 Introduction""; ""2 Tidal Resource Assessment""; ""3 Wave Resource Assessment""; ""4 Ocean Current Resource Assessment""; ""5 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Resource Assessment""; ""6 In-Stream Hydrokinetic Resource Assessment""; ""7 The Practical Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Base""; ""8 Overarching Conclusions and Recommendations""; ""References""; ""A

Department of Energy Funding Opportunity Announcements for the Assessment of Marine and Hydrokinetic Resources (excerpted)""

""B Interim Letter Report""""C Biographical Sketches""; ""D Presentations and Committee Meetings""; ""E Acronym List""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 97-103).

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-309-27004-9

0-309-27001-4

OCLC:

880438210