| dc.description.abstract | The successful implementation of marine renewable energy requires complex engineering projects to interact with difficult environmental conditions. Technological advances of environmental monitoring systems, supported by detailed analysis of environmental data sets are supporting the ongoing development of best practice for this industry. This paper describes detailed analysis from marine energy sites to demonstrate spatial variability in marine conditions. Specific case studies from a tidal energy site and a wave energy site are used to demonstrate how increased environmental monitoring can improve marine operations and resource assessment procedures. In particular, the outcomes demonstrate areas in which real time measurements can increase working limits for marine operations, and spatial data sets can improve both baseline and monitoring of environmental impacts. Applying the methods described here has the potential to reduce costs for marine operations, increase the accuracy of resource assessments and associated site design, and support more sensitive methods for environmental assessment. These are measures that would reduce uncertainty, and increase stakeholder confidence in the adequate environmental monitoring of marine energy projects. | en_GB |
