First output of the SOWFIA project: Streamlining of Ocean Wave Farms Impact Assessment

In 2009, Directive 2009/28/CE of the European Parliament and the Council set as a general target 20% of gross European energy consumption to be generated from renewable sources by 2020. An important European resource of renewable energy is the ocean that will also contribute to diversification of the electricity mix. The ocean energy resource with highest potential is Wave Energy, estimated 1400 GWh in Europe. Expected scenarios of wave energy installed capacity have been drawn by several governments and associations. Roadmaps with associated action plans have been put in place. Moreover, some countries have already established targets of installed capacity for a specific timeframe. This paper summarises and analyses the wave energy projects that have been tested in the sea in the past and those that are in place at present or are planned for the near future. It incorporates a review of National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPS), amongst others. To achieve these ambitious WE targets a European wide comprehensive device development and testing programme is required, together with an extensive technical support infrastructure and a consenting and permitting environment that will facilitate the device deployment process. The overall aim of this study is to assess the consequences of the installed capacity required if Member States' are to achieve the objectives to reduce GHG emissions by means of wave energy. This work is part of “Streamlining of Ocean Wave Farms Impact Assessment” (SOWFIA), a 3 year European project supported under the European Commission's Intelligent Energy Europe that started in October 2010. The aim of SOWFIA is to facilitate the development of European-wide, coordinated, unified and streamlined environmental and socio-economic Impact Assessment (IA) tools for offshore wave energy conversion developments. The SOWFIA project consortium consists of partners from all over Europe, interested in wave farm development planning. This specific output is part of the second work package (WP 2), which aims to enhance the process of development of wave energy in harmony with sustainable development at the local and the European level, considering societal, economic and environmental concerns. The objective is to compile and make information and experience available, to identify barriers, accelerators and lessons learned from all wave energy sites in existence and planned in Europe. Within WP2, extensive consultation with project developers, financers and authorities will take place, through interviews and questionnaires, and Project Workshops to gather experience on the approval process and requirements of IA for wave energy development in different European states. This exercise will be focused on the experience and perceptions of project developers. This paper summarizes the first step of this process.