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.
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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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
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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
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
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
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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
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.
5 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Resource Assessment
Conclusions and Recommendations
6 In-Stream Hydrokinetic Resource Assessment
Conclusions and Recommendations
7 The Practical Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Base
Motivation for Assessment of Practical Resource Base
Practical Considerations for MHK Development
Multiple-Use Planning for the Marine and Riverine Environments
Conclusions and Recommendations
8 Overarching Conclusions and Recommendations
A Defensible Estimate of the MHK Resource
Coordination for Resource Development
Limitations on Comparison of Extractable MHK Resources
Figures, Tables, and Boxes
FIGURES
1-1 Conceptual framework developed by the committee for MHK resource assessments
2-1 Turbine designs for U.S. tidal energy pilot projects
3-1 A comparison of the concepts of recoverable, technical, and practical power
5-1 Barriers and concerns for OTEC deployment
6-1 Stream flow energy definition
6-2 Conventional impounded hydropower
6-3 Centerline view of an array of bed-mounted hydrokinetic turbines deployed in a stream
TABLES
1-1 MHK Resource Assessment and Validation Groups Contracted by DOE
1-2 Terminology and Definitions Used by the Assessment Groups
7-1 Examples of Filters That Could Impact the Development of the Practical MHK Resource
BOXES
S-1 The Theoretical, Technical, and Practical Resource