Abstract
On July 9th, the Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC) and PacWave hosted national and international experts from government, academia and industry, and across maritime sectors, to explore future research and testing opportunities associated with the development of the PacWave testing facilities. This report summarizes the findings from the strategic break-out sessions presents major takeaways for marine energy in specific markets, and suggests associated implications for improving PacWave's value to maritime markets.
PMEC is a consortium of universities focused on the responsible advancement of marine energy, including wave, tidal, riverine, and offshore wind resources. Researchers from Oregon State University, the University of Washington, and University of Alaska Fairbanks work closely with marine energy technology developers, academic and National Laboratory researchers, coastal community members, ocean users, federal and state regulators, and other government officials to address key challenges in the sector and accelerate its emergence. PMEC serves as an objective voice regarding the opportunities, capabilities, and effects of marine energy.
The PacWave wave energy testing sites build on a legacy of PMEC marine energy research at Oregon State University that goes back over four decades. Now, in 2019, as the global ocean economy undergoes exponential expansion and the many impacts of human reliance on fossil fuels come into focus, the impetus for advancing marine energy applications has never been stronger. Concurrently, as the ‘Blue Economy’ concept gains international recognition and focus, the market opportunities for marine energy are expanding dramatically to include new sectors, partners and research questions.
During the meeting, experts used a PESTEL analysis framework to identify emerging maritime market opportunities and challenges with respect to their Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal dimensions. A PESTEL framework is designed to organize and understand macroscopic factors that are likely to impact new and emerging markets and therefore well-suited to MRE and maritime markets.
For an overview of the Pacific Marine Energy Center, and current details for PacWave, visit pmec.us and pacwaveenergy.org.
The U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office's 2019 report "Powering the Blue Economy; Exploring Opportunities for Marine Renewable Energy in Maritime Markets" also provides critical background for this workshop and the markets discussed. It is available online at energy.gov/eere/water.