Offshore Power - Building Renewable Energy Projects in U.S. Waters

Description

As the United States seeks ways to meet the ever-increasing power needs of its large coastal population areas, there’s a growing focus on the plentiful renewable energy resources located just offshore. In this book the authors outline the important new offshore options available to a nation on the threshold of a green revolution. The experience gained by early offshore oil and gas prospectors, as well as by more recent developers of European offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy projects, provides a wealth of knowledge that can be readily transferred to North American marine energy projects. Whether you’re a developer, financial backer, or regulator, this book charts a course for long-term deployment of marine renewable energy facilities, and creates a compelling picture of a greener future. Content: Front Matter • Acronyms and Abbreviations • Preface • Table of Contents 1. Stepping Off Dry Land: The Case for Offshore Renewable Energy 2. An Unfamiliar Environment: Offshore Conditions and Energy Resources 3. Marvelous Machines: Harvesting Nature's Offshore Energy Crop 4. Carving Out a Piece of the Shelf: Project Siting Decisions 5. Acquiring Rights to Project Sites: MMS and Offshore Renewables; FERC and Hydrokinetics 6. Action and its Impacts: Project Review under the National Environmental Policy Act 7. Nature and Machine Coexisting Offshore: Federal Protections for Natural and Cultural Resources 8. Still More Permits: The Roles of other Federal and State Agencies Reviewing Proposed Offshore Projects 9. Renewable Energy Goodwill: Managing the Public Consultation Process 10. Connecting to the Grid: Adapting to Intermittent Renewable Energy Supplies 11. Working the Numbers: Financing and Insuring Offshore Renewable Energy Projects 12. Cultivating Disruptive Change: The Economic Challenge of Offshore Renewable Energy • Notes Index • About the Authors