Abstracts of draft national standards for marine renewable energy sector
Please contact Andrew Want of
EMEC to be put in touch with the leaders of the industry groups who are progressing
each draft.
In the near future, an interactive website produced by BSI British Standards will be available to download drafts, check on the progress of each standard, and communicate between stakeholders engaged in the draft standards for the marine energy industry.
1. Wave Performance Testing
This will specify the requirements for measuring performance of wave energy
conversion systems. This will be based on the existing wave
testing draft standard which has itself been based on the Wind Performance
Measurement Standard ISO 61400 – Part 12-1:2006 “Wind turbines.
Power performance measurements of electricity producing wind turbines”.
Main areas for update are the chapters on Wave Power Calculation and Uncertainty Calculations and the relevant Appendices which will be re-written.
This draft standard will be informed by the DTI-commissioned “Wave
Energy: Device Performance Protocol” by the University of Edinburgh
for measurements associated with Wave device testing that was issued for
guidance in conjunction with applications for the Marine Renewable Deployment
Fund.
Click here for the latest draft of this standard
2. Tank Testing
Tank testing is an essential part of the design and performance evaluation
of marine devices. Developers must reliably scale up results from tank
testing for presentation to potential investors. Utilising existing
documents (for example: Wavenet)
this standard focuses on guidelines to ensure appropriate testing methodologies
and scalability. Tow and flow testing, and the suitability and limitations
of model versus full-scale onsite testing will also be addressed.
Click here for the latest scope of this standard
3. Tidal Performance Testing
This will be similar in scope and format to the wave performance standard
and based on the same structure but will contain measurement considerations
and guidance unique to tidal energy conversion systems. This draft standard
will be informed by the DTI-commissioned “Tidal Current Energy: Device
Performance Protocol” by the University of Edinburgh for measurements
associated with Tidal device testing that was issued for guidance in conjunction
with applications for the Marine Renewable Deployment Fund.
Click here for the latest draft of this standard
4. Device Environmental Performance Guide
This guideline will identify a set of criteria to describe the environmental
performance of a device. This may include the monitoring, reporting, audit
and review of environmental performance. The document should be compatible
with ISO 14001 requirements and may be used to simplify the consenting
process for devices by providing a reference point for environmental performance
e.g. of emissions to air/water, impacts on wildlife etc. The guide will
refer to all stages of a device lifecycle, from construction, operation,
maintenance, and inspection through to decommissioning.
5. Wave Resource Assessment
Technology developers need to be able to validate the performance of their
devices against the design intent. For example, this may include a standard
means of defining directionality of power in the wave resource to compare
with the power take-off predicted by the device designer. Various approaches
for wave energy calculation and assessment of sites will be addressed.
The guide will also refer to the principles for selecting instruments and
the impact of accuracy and consistency in resource assessment on project
evaluation.
Click here for the latest draft of this standard
6. Project Development
This guideline will provide a route map through a marine energy project by
defining development checkpoints and identifying key responsibilities along
the way. The guide will highlight best practice for Marine energy project
development and will encourage a risk management approach to be employed.
Some specific issues to be addressed will include:
- Project Stages – development, installation, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning
- Technology guide - matching the most appropriate generating technologies with different classes of sites.
- Environmental constraints – Matching device environmental performance to specific site characteristics. Reference documents on Environmental Impact Assessment good practice
- Infrastructure & Logistics – grid connection, transport, accommodation, internet access, etc
- Site marking – guidelines and existing standards
- Marine vessels capabilities – Selecting vessels, installation and deployment methods and defining vessel requirements
- Other local factors –local skills base, workshop and yard facilities etc
- Security issues
Click here for the latest draft of this standard
7. Grid Interface
Engineering and safety aspects of the electrical interface with the grid
at marine energy sub-stations will be defined. Establishing the responsibilities
at the interface and the procedures for assessing compliance with power
quality requirements is necessary. Specific issues associated with isolated
and local grids will also be addressed.
Click here for the latest draft of this standard
8. Design Basis
Specifying essential design requirements helps ensure the engineering integrity
of marine energy devices. This standard should enable a developer to specify
an appropriate level of protection against damage from all hazards and
under all conditions encountered during the planned lifecycle. The design
specifications must consider not only manufacture and testing, and operation
and maintenance, but also transportation, installation, emergency situations,
and decommissioning. This standard will include general principles covering
all subsystems of marine energy devices such as control and protection
mechanisms, internal electrical systems, mechanical and hydraulic systems,
and support structures.
Click here for the latest draft of this standard
9. Reliability, Maintainability, and Survivability
This standard furthers several important issues included in the Design Basis,
and Health and Safety standards. Specific operations and maintenance considerations
unique to marine energy conversion shall include:
- On-site versus in-transit versus in-harbour
- Above versus below waterline
- Generation of risk profile associated with varying weather and sea conditions
- Criticality of components
- Acquisition of failure frequencies
- Mitigation measures for risk management.
- Estimates of seasonal weather windows and down-time
Click here for the latest draft of this standard
10. Health and Safety Guide
The Health and Safety Guide for the Marine Energy industry will fulfil the
objectives of the Safety Management Standard OHAS 18001. The guide
will include policy, planning, implementation, organisation, risk identification & management,
competency, training, data security, operational control, emergency preparedness & response,
performance monitoring, reporting, and audit & review of Health and
Safety. The guide will follow the general format of the BWEA’s Health
and Safety Guide and will be progressed under the auspices of the BWEA
H&S Group. Guidelines will be established covering the lifecycle
of devices and associated infrastructure, and will include consideration
of weather conditions in operations. The steps include:
- Design
- Manufacture
- Transportation to site
- Operational Access and egress
- Shipping and navigation
- Offshore working
- Staff competency and training
- Emergency planning
- Decommissioning
On the 7th of March, 2007, E.ON UK sponsored a strategy day where working
groups discussed the priorities, scopes and issues associated with the standards
listed above. The previous day was spent specifically on the Health and Safety
guideline. Altogether more than 100 people attended the workshops which have
been documented in summary form to inform the small working groups that are
progressing documents.
Click here for the latest draft of this standard
11. Tidal Resource Assessment
A standard approach is required to quantifying resource so that performance
in different sea areas may be properly predicted using a common basis for
resource measurement. As with the Wave Resource Assessment, this will give
guidance on the use of bathymetric and meteorological data, and flow modelling.
Reliable resource assessment is an important factor in enabling investors
to make realistic comparisons of technologies, locations and configurations
of arrays of devices.
Click here for the latest draft of this standard
12. Manufacture and Factory Testing
This is a technical specification providing guidelines for manufacturing
methods, the requirements for factory-based testing of marine energy devices
and sub-assemblies and as a possible part of a design verification of the
device. Key factors will include:
- Interfacing Engineering and manufacture
- Good manufacturing practice
- Safety
- Mechanical performance testing of sub-assemblies.
- Quality issues and component level testing
- Evaluation of manufacturing process
- Testing the sealing of components against the marine environment
- Evaluation of materials
Click here for the latest draft of this standard
13. Independent Verification and Validation of Ocean
Energy
The development of a process would enable a technology developer to identify
the requirements to achieve conformance of a device to the relevant standards
and assist the developer with a set of criteria to enable selection of a
certification authority to achieve type certification of the device. The
verification and validation guide would be a reference to enable audit of
conformance against device design, and engineering standards together with
testing standards.
Click here for the latest draft of this standard