Socio‐economic, legal, and political context of offshore renewable energies

Abstract

Offshore renewable energies have been identified as important clean sources of energy in line with sustainable development goals. However, their use can generate conflicts with other maritime activities, as well as the protection of biodiversity and the marine environment. This article analyses the influence of regulatory frameworks and ocean governance in the implementation of such devices, from a legal-political point of view. In this sense, it studies how the law of the sea addresses potential international conflicts between ocean energy installations and other activities (e.g., navigation) developed by other states. It also studies the importance of preventive legal tools-marine spatial planning, strategic environmental assessment, and environmental impact assessmentto anticipate and reduce clashes with other sea users as well as environmental damages that may be caused by these structures. Likewise, this research analyses different national consent procedures and legal-economic supporting schemes, to identify those that boost the implementation of such projects more quickly. Finally, the relevance of enhancing the involvement of affected coastal communities and local stakeholders in the decision-making processes, as well as in the socio-economic benefits of offshore renewable energy projects to increase their social acceptance, is also emphasized.

Who Is in and Who Is out in Ocean Economies Development?

“…Moreover, the changes in environmental and aesthetic conditions, albeit minimal, can result in economic losses by other sectors; for instance, the negative impact on the touristic value of a place resulting from the alteration of the seascape [18]. Studies on the effects of offshore wind farms show contrasting effects of the electromagnetic field, underwater noise, particle motion and vibration on fish and fisheries [19], whereas there is agreement about the lack of social acceptability of fisheries groups to energy projects concerned with the impact on the environment and thus on their business [20].…”

A Probabilistic Methodology for Determining Collision Risk of Marine Animals with Tidal Energy Turbines

“…Despite the availability of adaptive, risk-based approaches to MRE project permitting (e.g., 'Survey-Deploy-Monitor' [34,35]), the absence of conclusive empirical evidence about the probability of collisions and their consequences has led to risk-averse permitting decisions for tidal energy projects in some jurisdictions [36,37]. These decisions inadvertently restrict the deployment of tidal energy devices in locations and at scales that are required to collect the very evidence about collision risk that is being sought.…”