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.

    		WindFarm  

    In order to design facilities on the Atlantic and mid/northern Pacific, information is required on seabed topography, bathymetry, sediment types, and meteorological andoceanographic 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 wave and tow tank (OHMSETT Fact Sheet)1.17mb PDF. 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
    710  Safety of Renewable Energy Operation in the US Outer Continental Shelf  
    709  Example Safety Management System and Audit Criteria/Procedures Template and Associated Checklist
    707 Real Time Data Monitoring
    706 Checklist of items for the Design Basis Document for Offshore Wind Turbines
    705 Design Guideline for Station Keeping Systems of Floating Wind Turbines
    701 Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines - Oversight of Design, Fabrication, and Installation
    686 Regulating Worker Safety in Renewable Energy Operations on the OCS
    672 Development of an Integrated Extreme Wind, Wave, Current, and Water Level Climatology to Support Standards-Based Design of Offshore Wind Projects
    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
    670 Design Standards for Offshore Wind Farms
    669 Floating Wind Turbines
    656 Seabed Scour Considerations
    651 Evaluate the Effect of Turbine Period of Vibration Requirements on Structural Design Parameters
    650 Offshore Wind Turbine Inspection Refinements
    648 Offshore Wind and Ocean Energy Installation Cost Estimation in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf
    636 Characteristics, Behavior and Response Effectiveness of Spilled Dielectric Insulating Oil in the Marine Environment
    634 Mitigation of Underwater Pile Driving Noise During Offshore Construction
    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
    629 Assess the Design and Inspection Criteria and Standards for Wave and Current Energy Generating Devices
    628 Assess the Design/Inspection Criteria/Standards for Wave and/or Current Energy Generating Devices
    627 Assess/Develop Inspection Methodologies for Offshore Wind Turbine Facilities
    618 Comparative Study of Offshore Wind Turbine Generators (OWTG) Standards