The Marine Renewable Energy Programme (MREP) was established in 2011 to give scientific support to policy development and licensing of energy production from renewable sources.
The environmental aspects of marine renewable energy research is a relatively new field, but of increasing importance to both the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations.
Scotland has the ambitious target of generating 100% of our electricity requirements from renewable sources by 2020, and marine renewables will play a role in that. Up to 10 GW of offshore wind projects are currently planned for Scottish waters, together with about 2GW of wave and tidal energy.
The contribution from marine renewables requires development in a planned and sustainable manner, by applying best regulatory practice supported by high quality science. Effective contributions in these areas require close integration of the work of MSS Marine Renewable Energy Programme work with that of MS Marine Planning and Policy Division.
The fundamental scientific requirements to be addressed through this Programme are for:
- Robust systems (risk analysis protocols) for advice on development applications, covering pre-development data requirements, data assessment methods, approaches to Habitats Regulations Assessment and Appropriate Assessment, mitigation, and post-development monitoring
- Tools and data assessment methods, including Economic Impact Assessments, for the identification of "preferred" development areas in the context of marine planning, resource assessment, and capacity estimation.
The key activities are:
- To advise on scoping, environmental assessment and management of renewables developments
- The development of locational guidance tools for marine renewables developments, including capacity assessment
- Seabed habitat mapping
- Assessment of research needs and priorities to meet policy aims
- Management of external and internal research and development projects
- Participation in relevant national and international groups
- Development of tools to assess environmental interactions of renewables developments, particularly with key receptors such as marine mammals, birds, habitats and fish
- Development of tools to appraise socio-economic impacts of marine renewables, particularly interactions with other uses of the sea, such as fishing, transportation and recreation
- Research into the interactions of renewable energy projects and migratory fish
- Advisory and management roles in a wide range of external research projects funded by MS, NERC and other agencies.