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Marine Renewable Energies: From Technological Advancements to Environmental Impact Assessment

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A3: Wind, Wave and Tidal Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 26032

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Diego Vicinanza

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Guest Editor

Department of Engineering, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Aversa, Italy
Interests: coastal engineering; maritime structures; coastal morphodynamic; coastal defences; wave energy converters
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Arianna Azzellino

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICA), Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
Interests: pollution source apportionment; knowledge-based management and planning of environmental resources; scenario analysis for environmental impact assessements (EIA) and strategic environmental assessments (SEA); integrated coastal zone management and maritime spatial planning of human uses

Dr. Lorenzo Cappietti

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Department of Civil and Evironmental Engineering, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
Interests: coastal engineering; maritime structures; marine renewable energies

Dr. Claudio Lugni

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1. Institute of Marine Engineering-National Research Council of Italy (CNR-INM), Via di Vallerano 139, 00128 Roma, Italy
2. Adj. Prof. at Department of Marine Technology-Norwegian University of Science and Technology, AMOS-NTNU, Otto Nielsens veg, 10, Trondheim, Norway
Interests: wave-structure interaction; sea loads; ocean engineering; sloshing; slamming; hydroelasticity; marine renewable energy; offshore wind energy; hydrodynamics; nonlinear wave propagation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine renewable energies (MRE) have the potential to become a large part of the future energy mix worldwide. The aim of harvesting and converting to useful forms this huge amount of renewable energy has recently seen increasing interest. In the awareness that, at present, only a very limited fraction of this huge resource is exploited, a lot of research projects have been carried out and many patents have been developed. However, to date, only harvesting offshore wind and tidal excursion energy have developed dominant technologies for the exploitation of these sources of marine energy and have already reached the commercial maturity level. The technological readiness level of devices for harvesting tidal stream energy are approaching commercial maturity, while the wave energy sector is still studying several different technologies and none of these seems at the moment to be the most promising.

This Special Issue will also focus on the potential and measured environmental risks associated with the presence of MRE infrastructures. It is now well established that the integration of resource planning needs to become a norm after the many failures of traditional sectoral, single-issue management. The greater awareness of the extent to which our marine habitats have become degraded, the widening of interests in—and users of—the marine space, including the general public and the increased governmental commitment to a wider stakeholder participation in marine decision-making have now created the context for marine spatial planning to become a routine process for analysing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic, and social objectives. Potential topics will include: the elements of ecological impact due to the presence of renewable energy installations (MREI) based on experimental studies; the definition of impact assessment methodological approaches that are transferable and scalable across sites; uncertainty quantification in environmental impact assessment procedures; spatial planning frameworks to support the optimal siting of marine renewable energy installations (MREIs); the positive environmental impacts associated with the presence of MREIs; experiences of mitigation; experiences of marine policies integration; and the environmental monitoring of pilot-scale MREIs.

This Special Issue intends to provide a detailed picture of worldwide MRE resources, the technological readiness level and implications for the marine ecosystem.

An ensemble of interdisciplinary articles will be then collected, which includes reviews and original papers, emphasizing the importance of tackling technical and scientific problems at different scales and from different points of view.

Prof. Dr. Diego Vicinanza
Prof. Dr. Arianna Azzellino
Dr. Lorenzo Cappietti
Dr. Claudio Lugni
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

harvesting devices
resource assessment
structural response
turbine technology
floating technology
multi-purpose platform
environmental impact assessment
strategic environmental assessment
marine spatial planning

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 79062 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Duct Attachment on Improving Breaking Wave Zone Energy Extractor Device Performance

by Krisna Adi Pawitan, Hideki Takebe, Hanley Andrean, Shuji Misumi, Jun Fujita and Tsumoru Shintake

Energies 2021, 14(19), 6428; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14196428 - 08 Oct 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1507

Abstract

A challenging wave energy converter design that utilized the denser energy part of the nearshore breaking wave zone to generate electricity was introduced in 2016 by Shintake. The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University’s project aims to take advantage of breaking wave energy to harness electricity. The 2016 version of the device consisted only of a bare turbine and power generator. Early exploration of the design recorded short periods and high impact wave pressures were experienced by the structure, with the turbine unable to harvest energy effectively. Additional structure to not only reduce incoming impact pressure but also increase the duration of water flow through the turbine was needed. These are the main reasons behind incorporating the duct attachment into the design. This paper show that the duct is capable of halving the impact pressure experienced by the turbine and can increase the energy exposure by up to 1.6 times the bare turbine configuration. Furthermore, it is also said that wave angle (β) = 40° is the critical angle, although the duct still increases wave energy exposure to the power take-off up to β = 60°. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Renewable Energies: From Technological Advancements to Environmental Impact Assessment)

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20 pages, 25296 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization of Low Head Axial-Flow Turbines for an Overtopping BReakwater for Energy Conversion: A Case Study

by Antonio Mariani, Gaetano Crispino, Pasquale Contestabile, Furio Cascetta, Corrado Gisonni, Diego Vicinanza and Andrea Unich

Energies 2021, 14(15), 4618; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14154618 - 30 Jul 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1656

Abstract

Overtopping-type wave power conversion devices represent one of the most promising technology to combine reliability and competitively priced electricity supplies from waves. While satisfactory hydraulic and structural performance have been achieved, the selection of the hydraulic turbines and their regulation is a complex process due to the very low head and a variable flow rate in the overtopping breakwater set-ups. Based on the experience acquired on the first Overtopping BReakwater for Energy Conversion (OBREC) prototype, operating since 2016, an activity has been carried out to select the most appropriate turbine dimension and control strategy for such applications. An example of this multivariable approach is provided and illustrated through a case study in the San Antonio Port, along the central coast of Chile. In this site the deployment of a breakwater equipped with OBREC modules is specifically investigated. Axial-flow turbines of different runner diameter are compared, proposing the optimal ramp height and turbine control strategy for maximizing system energy production. The energy production ranges from 20.5 MWh/y for the smallest runner diameter to a maximum of 34.8 MWh/y for the largest runner diameter. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Renewable Energies: From Technological Advancements to Environmental Impact Assessment)

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21 pages, 5618 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Dynamic Loads and Response of a Spar Buoy Wind Turbine with Pitch-Controlled Rotating Blades: An Experimental Study

by Sara Russo, Pasquale Contestabile, Andrea Bardazzi, Elisa Leone, Gregorio Iglesias, Giuseppe R. Tomasicchio and Diego Vicinanza

Energies 2021, 14(12), 3598; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14123598 - 17 Jun 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2272

Abstract

New large-scale laboratory data are presented on a physical model of a spar buoy wind turbine with angular motion of control surfaces implemented (pitch control). The peculiarity of this type of rotating blade represents an essential aspect when studying floating offshore wind structures. Experiments were designed specifically to compare different operational environmental conditions in terms of wave steepness and wind speed. Results discussed here were derived from an analysis of only a part of the whole dataset. Consistent with recent small-scale experiments, data clearly show that the waves contributed to most of the model motions and mooring loads. A significant nonlinear behavior for sway, roll and yaw has been detected, whereas an increase in the wave period makes the wind speed less influential for surge, heave and pitch. In general, as the steepness increases, the oscillations decrease. However, higher wind speed does not mean greater platform motions. Data also indicate a significant role of the blade rotation in the turbine thrust, nacelle dynamic forces and power in six degrees of freedom. Certain pairs of wind speed-wave steepness are particularly unfavorable, since the first harmonic of the rotor (coupled to the first wave harmonic) causes the thrust force to be larger than that in more energetic sea states. The experiments suggest that the inclusion of pitch-controlled, variable-speed blades in physical (and numerical) tests on such types of structures is crucial, highlighting the importance of pitch motion as an important design factor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Renewable Energies: From Technological Advancements to Environmental Impact Assessment)

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14 pages, 9848 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Blue Growth Development in the Mediterranean Sea: Quantifying the Benefits of an Integrated Wave Energy Converter at Genoa Harbour

by George Lavidas, Francesco De Leo and Giovanni Besio

Energies 2020, 13(16), 4201; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13164201 - 14 Aug 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1995

Abstract

Coastal resilience is often achieved by traditional civil engineering projects, such as dikes and breakwaters. However, given the pressing nature of Climate Change, integrating energy converters in “classical” structures can enhance innovation, and help in pursuing decarbonisation targets. In this work, we present an alternative for integrating a wave energy converter at a vertical wall breakwater, following past successful projects. Our approach is based on a high spatio-temporal wave dataset to properly quantify expected energy production, but also focus on the hours for which other time-dependent renewables cannot produce, i.e., solar. Our analysis evaluates the power performance and assesses the economic parameters and viability of the proposed installation. Our integrated solution shares the main capital with the breakwater and can produce from 390 MWh–2300 MWh/year, displacing more than 1760 Tn of CO₂ annually. In addition to power generated, we estimated the payback period for most cases being approximately 10–15 years, but when accounting avoided oil CO₂ emissions, the installation is highly attractive with payback in less than 9 years, with favourable financing indicating 3.4 years. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Renewable Energies: From Technological Advancements to Environmental Impact Assessment)

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19 pages, 9267 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Iterative Refining Approach to Design the Control of Wave Energy Converters with Numerical Modeling and Scaled HIL Testing

by Nicola Delmonte, Eider Robles, Paolo Cova, Francesco Giuliani, François Xavier Faÿ, Joseba Lopez, Piero Ruol and Luca Martinelli

Energies 2020, 13(10), 2508; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13102508 - 15 May 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2380

Abstract

The aim of this work is to show that a significant increase of the efficiency of a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) can be achieved already at an early design stage, through the choice of a turbine and control regulation, by means of an accurate Wave-to-Wire (W2W) modeling that couples the hydrodynamic response calibrated in a wave flume to a Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) test bench with sizes and rates not matching those of the system under development. Information on this procedure is relevant to save time, because the acquisition, the installation, and the setup of a test rig are not quick and easy. Moreover, power electronics and electric machines to emulate turbines and electric generators matching the real systems are not low-cost equipment. The use of HIL is important in the development of WECs also because it allows the carrying out of tests in a controlled environment, and this is again time- and money-saving if compared to tests done on a real system installed at the sea. Furthermore, W2W modeling can be applied to several Power Take-Off (PTO) configurations to experiment different control strategies. The method here proposed, concerning a specific HIL for testing power electronics and control laws for a specific WECs, may have a more general validity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Renewable Energies: From Technological Advancements to Environmental Impact Assessment)

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19 pages, 2696 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Wave Exciting Force Maximization of Truncated Cylinders in a Linear Array

by Constantine Michailides, Eva Loukogeorgaki and Ioannis K. Chatjigeorgiou

Energies 2020, 13(9), 2400; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13092400 - 11 May 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2325

Abstract

This study focuses on the determination of optimum layout configurations for a linear array of identical mutually interacting truncated cylinders. Optimum configurations correspond to those that maximize either the total heave exciting force acting on all cylinders of the array or the heave exciting force applied on pairs of cylinders within the array. For achieving this goal, we developed and applied an efficient optimization numerical process (ONP), where a robust hydrodynamic numerical model, capable of solving the diffraction problem of the examined multi-body arrangement in the frequency domain, was appropriately coupled with a genetic algorithm solver in an integrated computational environment. Initially, the efficiency of the ONP is demonstrated by comparing results with those of other investigations that resulted from the deployment of classical optimization methods. Then, ONP is applied for a linear array of nine cylinders for determining the optimum layout configurations under the action of the head and perpendicular to the array waves, and for different maximum allowable array lengths. The resulting optimum configurations correspond to a random positioning of the cylinders within the array. Nevertheless, they are characterized by the formation of clusters of closely-positioned cylinders, which induce positive hydrodynamic interactions in terms of maximizing the exciting forces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Renewable Energies: From Technological Advancements to Environmental Impact Assessment)

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18 pages, 2747 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Generation from an Array of Subsea Tidal Kite Prototypes

by Mohamad Kaddoura, Johan Tivander and Sverker Molander

Energies 2020, 13(2), 456; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13020456 - 17 Jan 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 6648

Abstract

Tidal current technologies have the potential to provide highly predictable energy, since tides are driven by lunar cycles. However, before implementing such technologies on a large scale, their environmental performance should be assessed. In this study, a prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed on a 12 MW tidal energy converter array of Minesto Deep Green 500 (DG500) prototypes, closely following the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) standards, but including scenarios to cover various design possibilities. The global warming potential (GWP) of the prototype array was in the range of 18.4–26.3 gCO₂-eq/kWhe. This is comparable with other renewable energy systems, such as wind power. Material production processes have the largest impact, but are largely offset by recycling at the end of life. Operation and maintenance processes, including the production of replacement parts, also provide major contributions to environmental impacts. Comparisons with other technologies are limited by the lack of a standardized way of performing LCA on offshore power generation technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Renewable Energies: From Technological Advancements to Environmental Impact Assessment)

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22 pages, 1832 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Comparison of Nonlinear Wave-Loading Models on Rigid Cylinders in Regular Waves

by Agota Mockutė, Enzo Marino, Claudio Lugni and Claudio Borri

Energies 2019, 12(21), 4022; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en12214022 - 23 Oct 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4134

Abstract

Monopiles able to support very large offshore wind turbines are slender structures susceptible to nonlinear resonant phenomena. With the aim to better understand and model the wave-loading on these structures in very steep waves where ringing occurs and the numerical wave-loading models tend to lose validity, this study investigates the distinct influences of nonlinearities in the wave kinematics and in the hydrodynamic loading models. Six wave kinematics from linear to fully nonlinear are modelled in combination with four hydrodynamic loading models from three theories, assessing the effects of both types of nonlinearities and the wave conditions where each type has stronger influence. The main findings include that the nonlinearities in the wave kinematics have stronger influence in the intermediate water depth, while the choice of the hydrodynamic loading model has larger influence in deep water. Moreover, finite-depth FNV theory captures the loading in the widest range of wave and cylinder conditions. The areas of worst prediction by the numerical models were found to be the largest steepness and wave numbers for second harmonic, as well as the vicinity of the wave-breaking limit, especially for the third harmonic. The main cause is the non-monotonic growth of the experimental loading with increasing steepness due to flow separation, which leads to increasing numerical overpredictions since the numerical wave-loading models increase monotonically. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Renewable Energies: From Technological Advancements to Environmental Impact Assessment)

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Other

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23 pages, 15153 KiB

Open AccessTechnical Note

The Methodology for Assessing the Impact of Offshore Wind Farms on Navigation, Based on the Automatic Identification System Historical Data

by Krzysztof Naus, Katarzyna Banaszak and Piotr Szymak

Energies 2021, 14(20), 6559; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14206559 - 12 Oct 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1761

Abstract

Mounting offshore renewable energy installations often involves extra risk regarding the safety of navigation, especially for areas with high traffic intensity. The decision-makers planning such projects need to anticipate and plan appropriate solutions in order to manage navigation risks. This process is referred to as “environmental impact assessment”. In what way can these threats be reduced using the available Automatic Identification System (AIS) tool? This paper presents a study of the concept for the methodology of an a posteriori vessel traffic description in the form of quantitative and qualitative characteristics created based on a large set of historical AIS data (big data). The research was oriented primarily towards the practical application and verification of the methodology used when assessing the impact of the planned Offshore Wind Farm (OWF) Baltic II on the safety of ships in Polish Marine Areas, and on the effectiveness of navigation, taking into account the existing shipping routes and customary and traffic separation systems. The research results (e.g., a significant distance of the Baltic II from the nearest customary shipping route equal to 3 Nm, a small number of vessels in its area in 2017 amounting to only 930) obtained on the basis of the annual AIS data set allowed for an unambiguous and reliable assessment of the impact of OWFs on shipping, thus confirming the suitability of the methodology for MREI spatial planning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Renewable Energies: From Technological Advancements to Environmental Impact Assessment)

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