Tidal, current and wave sources have great potential for generating electrical energy. The wave and tidal climate of the west coast of North America presents one of the best prospects for development in the world. There are many unkowns and uncertainities that must be resolved before developing these potential energy sources. Research is needed in several areas:

• environmental effects of the technology on the marine and estuarines environments
• social and economic costs and benefits
• technology development

Information is a shared need across the research areas. It ranges from oceanographic conditions to engineering studies to community surveys.  Ther are legal documents and regulations. This guide provides insight into locating and accessing information on reneable marine energy. It also provides tools to those actively working in the area.

The NNMREC is funded by the U.S. Dpeartment of Energy. It is a collaborative effort to reserach and develop energy from waves and tidal flow.  Oregon State University is focused on wave energy research and development including technology and environmental effects while University of Washington is working on tidal energy

Primary NNMREC Contacts:

• Director: Dr. Robert Paasch (OSU)
• Co-Director: Dr. Phil Malte (UW)
• Program Manager: Meleah Ashford

NNMREC objectives:

• Development of facilities to serve as an integrated, standardized test Center for U.S. and international developers of wave and tidal energy;
• Evaluation of potential environmental and ecosystem impacts, focusing on the compatibility of marine energy technologies in areas with sensitive environments and existing users;
• Device and array optimization for effective deployment of wave and tidal energy technologies.
• Improved forecasting of the wave energy resource;
• Increased reliability and survivability of marine energy systems.