54 JUNE 2024 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG effective co-location with marine energy and aquaculture. Fortunately, researchers are actively working to inform these challenges and identify solutions to overcome hurdles and enable co-location (Figure 3). Navigating a Path to Co-location through Research Aquaculture-marine energy co-location requires information about aquaculture energy needs, local marine energy resources, available marine energy technologies, and much, much more. Generating this data requires technical expertise, and researchers are playing a critical role in informing current and future co-location efforts. Below are some key research areas in the emerging co-location space, where experts from PNNL, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office, are focusing their attention. Assessing feasibility and suitability. A major area of research is feasibility and site suitability assessments for co-locating specific aquaculture operations with marine energy. These assessments are the first step to understanding if and where co-location may be possible and are fundamental to co-location efforts. These data inform planners and developers what marine energy resources are available in certain regions to meet the power demand of specific aquaculture operations. For example, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently identified sites in Hawaii and California with sufficient wave energy resources to power offshore finfish operations. First, they gathered information on how much power would be needed for offshore finfish aquaculture operations (Garavelli et al. 2022). Then, they evaluated sites in Hawaii and California to find locations with sufficient wave resources to generate that much power, including seasonal differences in wave activity. Finally, they gathered data on other marine activities, including shipping and recreation, important marine habitats such as coral reefs, species of concern, and other factors to identify areas that are both potentially suitable from a marine energy and aquaculture perspective and that also avoid potential conflicts. Considering local regulations. In addition to the availability of marine energy resources, the local regulatory environment plays a key role in co-location efforts. In the same study mentioned previously, researchers noted that wave energy resources around Alaska would be sufficient to power offshore finfish aquaculture, but the regulatory environment in Alaska makes offshore finfish aquaculture extremely difficult (Garavelli et al. 2022). This is a prime example of how important it is to understand local regulations when considering co-location projects. Further exploration is needed to understand how co-locating marine energy and aquaculture may affect regulatory processes. For instance, there may be opportunities for more efficient permitting, but there may also be new challenges from the unknown interactions of these two uses. Scaling integrations for different applications and users. Small-scale colocation projects could pave the way for larger efforts while also providing critical support to remote and island-based communities. Researchers are currently involved in efforts to power nearshore and communityscale aquaculture with marine energy. In an active partnership with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, researchers at PNNL are providing support to assess the energy needs of their aquaculture facilities, available wave and tidal energy resources in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. and sites suitable for co-location with aquaculture. This will inform co-location efforts with community-scale aquaculture in the region and beyond. Engaging with stakeholders. Local communities and stakeholders are essential players in the move toward renewable energy and sustainable aquaculture; their support can facilitate co-location. Researchers are involving local communities and stakeholders during the information gathering phase and throughout their work, to guide future developments that better align with the needs and preferences of the communities they may affect. This outreach and engagement takes many forms, from listening sessions and workshops with local stakeholders curious about wave energy to educational materials about marine energy for classrooms. Incorporating stakeholder perspectives, opinions, needs, and knowledge into the co-location process in a variety of ways provides a holistic perspective to co-location efforts (Figure 4). Want Sustainable Aquaculture? Think Marine Energy The ocean holds an incredible amount of potential renewable energy that could help the growing aquaculture industry cut its carbon emissions. Scalable and adaptable, marine energy technologies could meet power needs in a variety of current and future aquaculture operations. Through research and partnerships with industry and communities, experts are generating critical information and insights necessary to support co-locating aquaculture and marine energy — good news for the industry, people, and the planet. To learn more and discover opportunities to partner with experts in aquaculture and marine energy co-location, visit https://www.pnnl.gov/projects/ marine-energy-aquaculture. FIGURE 4. Lysel Garavelli, research scientist with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, meets with researchers and community partners in Puerto Rico as part of ongoing efforts to engage local stakeholders in a project investigating marine energy-aquaculture co-location. Photo by Ernesto Olivares, Sea Grant Puerto Rico.
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