The Ocean Energy Systems Technology Collaboration Program (OES) is an intergovernmental collaboration working to advance ocean resources such as tides, waves, currents and ocean thermal and geothermal energy. At the OES fall executive committee meeting, the first wave-powered navigational buoy launched by India was released in Chennai on the east coast of India. The buoy, developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) of India, has a beacon for guiding ships and can record and report wind speed data to port authorities.

Also in the fall, OES and NOIT celebrated the launch of an ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) desalination facility 40 km off the Chennai coast near NOIT headquarters. It uses low temperature thermal desalination (LTTD) technology and recycles waste heat from a nearby thermal power plant, generating data that will feed future improvements of desalination technology.

This year, OES has released a position paper worth reading that is related to the state of the art of environmental assessments for ocean energy projects. The publication lists the driving factors behind permitting for the marine renewable energy industry and how environmental assessments are currently working in relation to new projects as commercialization becomes more common.

Visit OES to read the report.