RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR OFFSHORE AQUACULTURE

Currently, there are no commercial finfish operations in U.S. federal waters, located between 3 and 200 miles (5 to 322 kilometers) offshore. Offshore aquaculture farms must have a reliable supply of energy. The global market for offshore wind energy is rooted in Europe. Even though Europe still dominates the market with 90% of global installed capacity at the end of 2016, Asia significant increased its offshore deployment in 2015 and 2016. European experience and market data indicate progress in offshore wind technological innovation and market cost reduction. Data from 2017 are projections from the development pipeline of announced projects already under construction that indicate likely deployment levels of over 4,000 MW. This forecast includes more than 1,000 MW in both Germany and China, as well as more than 700 MW in the United Kingdom. Industry-wide confidence that the U.S. offshore wind market is emerging has increased because of decreasing global costs and stronger state policy commitments. The big story in U.S. maritime wind power this year was the start of commercial operations with its first offshore wind project, the Block Island Wind Farm with 30-MW BIWF. Thus, currently, the market in the U.S. developed increasing investment activity, as the U.S. States along the East Coast have advocated supporting offshore renewable wind energy development along their shores. Thus, the developers submitted proposals with the hope to increase the growth of such initiative. Therefore, in 2018, we expect to see a significant growth of the offshore segment beyond the state-level policies while also hoping to see the emergence of innovative partnerships amongst offshore wind, oil and gas companies seeking to gain from the technology that each brings to the table.

While the wind was gusting and solar shone over the last three decades, wave and tidal power made only a small splash. Now they could be the new wave of renewables, as ocean energy projects are being floated globally. Some scientists argue that even if using only one percent of Japan's ocean is capable of generating close to 10GW, which is similar to to the energy provided by ten nuclear power plants. It seems that if offshore renewable energy operations are operating around the globe, they could generate enough power to meet global electricity needs. In 2013, there were about 100 pilot wave energy projects worldwide, experimenting with different methods and tools to capture and convert energy from the water. Now, marine generated power is gearing up to go commercial. In the United Kingdom, wave and tidal energy have the potential to deliver twenty percent of their electricity needs at a 30-50GW installed capacity. For example, Marine Power Systems (MPS), a wave power technology company based in Wales, UK, has unveiled during October 2017 its quarter-scale, prototype WaveSub wave energy generator, marking its move to a new, sea-based phase of its development.