Ocean Renewable Energy - 2021

Completed
Written By Tim Briggs

The Northeast Sea Grant Consortium, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office and Water Power Technologies Office joined together to fund a research competition in 2021. The competition sought proposals to improve understanding of the effects of ocean renewable energy development on coastal communities, including the fishing industry. This includes wind and hydrokinetic wave, current, and tidal energy in the U.S. Northeast, from New York Bight to the Gulf of Maine.

The funded research projects aim to catalyze social science and technology research in the Northeast that will further our understanding of the effects of ocean renewable energy on community resilience and economies. Through this research competition, the Northeast Sea Grant Consortium and its funding partners are providing a regional approach to supporting objective research on ocean renewable energy across stakeholders, including developers, communities, and fishers, etc.

The selected projects were collectively awarded over $1.1 million in federal funds, with each project matching 50% in non-federal funds. The two-year projects have roots across the Northeast.

Click each title for a project description and publications list!

  • Project Leads: Jessica Moman-Reilly and Heather Leslie, University of Maine, Orono, ME

    How do people’s values influence what they think about ocean renewables in coastal communities? This research team spoke to members of coastal communities in Maine, home to many fishermen dealing with the early stages of offshore renewable energies, to learn about people’s values and belief systems. Through two years of conversations, the researchers sought a deeper understanding of where ocean renewable energy might be a good – or not so good – fit for both people and places. They also assessed how this information could help influence the processes used to introduce new technologies to a given area. The researchers published a guide offering insights and tools that can be applied across the Northeast.

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  • Project Lead: Chris Brehme, University of Maine, Orono, ME

    How can the lobster industry – worth a half billion dollars in Maine – have a voice in marine spatial planning processes? This research team dove into how proprietary lobstering data and knowledge from local fishermen can be brought into the conversation about what activities are taking place on the water. They worked closely with fishermen and the tools they already had on their boats to collect data about where they were fishing, then carefully anonymized the data before incorporating it into the Maine Lobster Data Trust. From here, the information can not only be incorporated into planning and management conversations, but the fishermen can also use their data to inform their own work.

  • Project Lead: Alison Bates, Colby College, Waterville, ME

    Have you ever experienced a floating wind farm up close? This research team made that possible using virtual reality technology to find out what people in the Gulf of Maine thought about this type of offshore renewable technology.  They worked with people living in fishing communities all along the Gulf of Maine, especially fishermen and fisheries managers, to expose them to a floating wind farm and then have a conversation about their perceptions. They found that people’s values largely shaped their thoughts on offshore renewables, and while people had some differing opinions, they shared some viewpoints, too. The researchers also wanted to understand what people already knew about offshore wind before coming into the conversation and how that colored their perceptions, finding that there’s a lot of confusion in the information circulating and people are having a hard time discerning what’s trustworthy. 

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  • Project Lead: Emily Diamond, University of Rhode Island, South Kingstown, RI 

    Who are reporters talking to and how do they frame the information when they’re reporting on offshore wind energy? This research team investigated how newspaper coverage of offshore wind projects in the Northeast might be shaping public opinion of new coastal developments. News media, both traditional platforms and digital mediums like social media, can only contain so much information by a limited number of interviewees and sources. Those selections hold influence and power. The researchers found that people’s perceptions of different wind farms varied based on the information they consumed as well as their own values and belief systems. Listen to the podcast episode below for Emily Diamond’s advice to communities wanting to elevate their voices in these conversations. 

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  • Project Lead: David Bidwell, University of Rhode Island, South Kingstown, RI

    What does an impactful community engagement process look like? How are members of the public consulted, informed and spoken to? This research team studied the engagement processes employed during different offshore wind projects in southern New England. They wanted to understand whether and how the processes themselves reflected the perceptions and experiences of community members. They also assessed the distribution of the costs and benefits of these new coastal developments. They found that how communities are engaged in decision making, and the trust built between all parties involved, can really shape their response to change. 

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  • Project Lead: Maha Haji, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

    How might different ocean users share the waters? These researchers evaluated different offshore technologies used by the energy and aquaculture industries in search of opportunities for different people to come together, share resources, and maybe even benefit from one another. There’s a lot of activity happening on the open ocean today, and finding ways to map those activities and ensuring everyone on the water has a voice is a critical part of impactful marine spatial planning. 

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View all project abstracts

View 2021 request for proposals

Sea Grant Offshore Wind Energy Liaison Initiative

Based out of Rhode Island Sea Grant, the Sea Grant Offshore Wind Energy Liaison Initiative builds the offshore wind energy (OWE) understanding and capacity of the National Sea Grant Network and enhances collaboration and communication between Sea Grant and its partners. While this is a national effort, this website is currently focused on the Northeast. The geographic scope of this initiative will expand in the coming months (2022).

Visit the Offshore Wind Energy Liaison Initiative Website
Tim Briggs
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Fisheries and Offshore Wind Interactions RFP - 2024