By Lyra Fontaine
Marine renewable energy is power generated from the movement of water, such as waves, tides and currents. If harnessed, it could help significantly in meeting energy needs in the United States. Because ocean tides are created by gravitational forces and the Earth's rotation, tidal energy in particular has the potential to be a consistent and reliable source of power.
One way to convert tidal energy is through a turbine, which can either be suspended from a floating platform or be placed on the seafloor. The motion of tides rotates the turbine's blades, which then powers a generator.
However, before accelerating the use of turbines and other underwater technologies, regulators and communities want to ensure the safety of tidal turbines on marine mammals. That's where researchers from the UW and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) come in.
"It's exciting to contribute to making sure that renewable energy technologies don't harm the underwater environment," says Molly Grear (CEE Ph.D. '18), a PNNL ocean engineer and ME affiliate faculty member who co-leads the project. "We're grateful to collaborate with the UW."
The team - which includes ME alums and affiliate faculty, as well as technical staff members on ME Professor Brian Polagye's team - is working in a controlled, simulated environment at the Harris Hydraulics Laboratory to assess whether it's possible to use sensors integrated into turbine blades to detect collision between marine mammals and turbines.
Studies examining the presence and behavior of fish around marine energy devices suggest collisions are rare, but there are still knowledge gaps around the probabilities and consequences of collision events. The researchers hope to develop tools to better understand, and potentially reduce, the impact of turbines on marine life and ensure that testing marine energy devices in the ocean is safe for animals.
The project is a part of PNNL's Triton Initiative, which conducts research and develops monitoring technologies and methods to understand potential environmental impacts of marine energy devices.
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