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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
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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

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.

www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS     500 Fifth Street, NW     Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Contract DE-DT0001480, TO#1, between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Energy. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-26999-5

International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-26999-7

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
×

MARINE AND HYDROKINETIC ENERGY
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE

PAUL GAFFNEY, NAE, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, New Jersey, Chair

PHILIP P. BEAUCHAMP, General Electric Global Research Center, Niskayuna, New York

MICHAEL BECK, The Nature Conservancy, Santa Cruz, California

VALERIE BROWNING, ValTech Solutions, LLC, Port Tobacco, Maryland

CHRISTOPHER J.R. GARRETT, NAS, University of Victoria, Canada

ANNETTE GRILLI, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett

J. ANDREW HAMILTON, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California

TUBA OZKAN-HALLER, Oregon State University, Corvallis

ELIZABETH FANNING PHILPOT, Southern Services Company, Birmingham, Alabama

BHAKTA RATH, NAE, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.

RAYMOND W. SCHMITT, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts

JAMES THOMSON, University of Washington, Seattle

LARRY J. WEBER, University of Iowa, Iowa City

ZHAOQING YANG, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Seattle, Washington

Project Staff

K. JOHN HOLMES, Study Director, Board on Energy and Environmental Systems

DEBORAH GLICKSON, Study Director, Ocean Studies Board

DAVID W. COOKE, Associate Program Officer

E. JONATHAN YANGER, Senior Program Assistant

LaNITA JONES, Administrative Coordinator

DANA CAINES, Financial Manager

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
×

BOARD ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

ANDREW BROWN, JR., NAE, Delphi Corporation, Troy, Michigan, Chair

WILLIAM F. BANHOLZER, NAE, Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan

MARILYN BROWN, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

WILLIAM CAVANAUGH III, Progress Energy (retired), Raleigh, North Carolina

PAUL A. DeCOTIS, Long Island Power Authority, Albany, New York

CHRISTINE EHLIG-ECONOMIDES, NAE, Texas A&M University, College Station

SHERRI GOODMAN, CNA, Alexandria, Virginia

NARAIN HINGORANI, NAE, Consultant, Los Altos Hills, California

ROBERT J. HUGGETT, Consultant, Seaford, Virginia

DEBBIE NIEMEIER, University of California, Davis

DANIEL NOCERA, NAS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

MICHAEL OPPENHEIMER, Princeton University, New Jersey

DAN REICHER, Stanford University, California

BERNARD ROBERTSON, NAE, DaimlerChrysler Corporation (retired), Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

GARY ROGERS, FEV, Inc., Auburn Hills, Michigan

ALISON SILVERSTEIN, Consultant, Pflugerville, Texas

MARK H. THIEMENS, NAS, University of California, San Diego

RICHARD WHITE, Oppenheimer & Company, New York City

Staff

JAMES J. ZUCCHETTO, Board Director

K. JOHN HOLMES, Senior Program Officer and Associate Board Director

DANA CAINES, Financial Manager

DAVID W. COOKE, Associate Program Officer

ALAN CRANE, Senior Scientist

LaNITA JONES, Administrative Coordinator

ALICE WILLIAMS, Senior Program Assistant

E. JONATHAN YANGER, Senior Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
×

OCEAN STUDIES BOARD

ROBERT A. DUCE, Texas A&M University, College Station, Chair

EDWARD A. BOYLE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

RITA R. COLWELL, University of Maryland, College Park

SARAH W. COOKSEY, State of Delaware, Dover

CORTIS K. COOPER, Chevron Corporation, San Ramon, California

ROBERT HALLBERG, NOAA/GFDL and Princeton University, New Jersey

BARBARA A. KNUTH, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

GEORGE I. MATSUMOTO, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California

JOHN A. ORCUTT, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California

STEVEN E. RAMBERG, Penn State Applied Research Lab, Washington, D.C.

ANDREW A. ROSENBERG, Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, Massachusetts

DANIEL L. RUDNICK, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California

PETER L. TYACK, University of Saint Andrews, United Kingdom

DON WALSH, International Maritime Incorporated, Myrtle Point, Oregon

DAWN J. WRIGHT, Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, California

JAMES A. YODER, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts

Ex-Officio

MARY (MISSY) H. FEELEY, ExxonMobil Exploration Company, Houston, Texas

Staff

SUSAN ROBERTS, Board Director

CLAUDIA MENGELT, Senior Program Officer

DEBORAH GLICKSON, Senior Program Officer

KIM WADDELL, Senior Program Officer

PAMELA LEWIS, Administrative Coordinator

HEATHER CHIARELLO, Senior Program Assistant

SHUBHA BANSKOTA, Financial Associate

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
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Acknowledgments

The Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Technology Assessment Committee would like to extend its appreciation to each of the resource assessment and validation groups, who contributed significant amounts of time and effort by giving presentations at open sessions of the committee meetings and by providing the committee with draft reports and additional background information. Each of the assessments represents a step forward in understanding and characterizing a complex and dynamic resource.

The committee would like to express its appreciation to Hoyt Battey, Brooke White, and Caitlin Frame from the Water Power Market Acceleration and Deployment Team at the U.S. Department of Energy. Their help in coordinating committee requests with the assessment and validation groups and their contribution of time to answer questions and discuss critical issues and milestones was indispensable.

The chairman would also like to recognize the staff members of the National Research Council’s Board on Energy and Environmental Systems and Ocean Studies Board for organizing and planning meetings, gathering information, and helping in report development. The efforts of K. John Holmes, Deborah Glickson, David Cooke, and Jonathan Yanger were invaluable to the committee’s ability to deliver a focused and timely report.

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC Report Review Committee. The purpose

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
×

of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Belinda Batten, Oregon State University,

Alexandra Bozec, Florida State University,

Sarah Cooksey, State of Delaware,

Robert A. Dalrymple, Johns Hopkins University,

Paul A. DeCotis, Long Island Power Authority,

Robert Holman, Oregon State University,

Edward Lovelace, Free Flow Power,

Ralph Masiello, KEMA Incorporated,

Chiang Mei, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

Brian Polagye, University of Washington, and

Luis Vega, University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Lawrence Papay, Review Monitor. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
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Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
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Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18278.
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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.

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