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Technology Assessment & Research
(TA&R) Project Categories
Renewable Energy Research (REnR)
The
Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005 amended the Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act (OCS Lands Act), authorizing the Secretary of Interior to
issue leases on the OCS for activities that produce or support
production, transportation, or transmission of energy from sources other
than oil and gas. These new activities must accommodate the EPAct
requirement that any activity be carried out in a manner that provides
for safety of operations and protection of the environment.
Because of the strong desire of the nation to furnish more of our
power needs from renewable sources, many innovative new ideas are
surfacing. Although offshore wind farms have been in existence in Europe
for several years, the US OCS presents a unique operating environment.
The water depth in many areas of the US OCS preclude the use of the
traditional wind farm foundation types, and hurricanes and the
open-ocean environment present distinctive challenges. Much is known
about the environmental conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, and to a
lesser extent, areas on the OCS offshore of California and Alaska. In
order to design facilities on the Atlantic and mid/northern Pacific,
information is required on seabed topography, bathymetry, sediment
types, and meteorological and oceanographic conditions. It is envisioned
that floating wind turbines and other untested technologies will be
presented in the near future that will require establishing minimally
acceptable design standards for permitting their deployment.
The BSEE has also
developed the capability to test
wave and current energy conversion devices at the Ohmsett
(1.17 MB PDF)
wave and tow tank. Located in Leonardo NJ, this tank is one of the
largest saltwater tanks in North America and is designed to evaluate the
performance of meso-scale sized equipment under realistic but safe
environmental conditions. It is able to generate up to one meter waves,
and tow speeds up to 6.5 knots. The tank can be utilized for private
research as well as those activities sponsored by BSEE.
REnR
Reports |
618 |
Comparative Study of Offshore
Wind Turbine Generators (OWTG) Standards |
627 |
Assess/Develop Inspection
Methodologies for Offshore Wind Turbine Facilities |
628 |
Assess the Design/Inspection
Criteria/Standards for Wave and/or Current Energy Generating Devices |
629 |
Assess the Design and Inspection
Criteria and Standards for Wave and Current Energy Generating Devices |
633 |
Wind Farm/Turbine Accidents and
the Applicability to Risks to Personnel and Property on the OCS, and Design
Standards to Ensure Structural Safety/Reliability/Survivability of Offshore
Wind Farms on the OCS |
634 |
Mitigation of Underwater Pile
Driving Noise During Offshore Construction |
636 |
Characteristics, Behavior and
Response Effectiveness of Spilled Dielectric Insulating Oil in the Marine
Environment |
648 |
Offshore Wind and Ocean Energy Installation
Cost Estimation in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf |
650 |
Offshore Wind Turbine Inspection Refinements |
651 |
Evaluate the Effect of Turbine Period of Vibration Requirements on Structural Design Parameters |
656 |
Seabed Scour Considerations |
669 |
Floating Wind Turbines |
670 |
Design Standards for Offshore Wind Farms |
671 |
Offshore Electrical Cable Burial for Wind Farms: State of the Art; Standards and Guidance; Acceptable Burial Depths and Separation Distances; and Sand Wave Effects |
672 |
Development of an Integrated Extreme Wind, Wave, Current, and Water Level
Climatology to Support Standards-Based Design of Offshore Wind Projects |
686 |
Regulating Worker Safety in Renewable Energy Operations on the OCS |
701 |
Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines - Oversight of Design, Fabrication, and Installation |
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