Managing Wind Farms – What is the Role of Adaptive Management?

Andrea Copping

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Andrea E. Copping is the research lead for ocean energy development for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Copping’s projects focus on environmental effects from the development of offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy installations, and the role that these effects play in technology development and project initiation across the nation. Using risk-based approaches, the offshore wind team lead by Dr. Copping integrates laboratory, field, and modeling measurements into a coherent body of evidence to support siting and permitting decisions. Andrea co-leads the international collaborations for the US Department of Energy on wind (WREN), and leads the international agreement on environmental effects of marine energy development (Annex IV).Dr. Copping is a Distinguished Faculty Fellow in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington, Associate Editor of the Coastal Management Journal, and on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Marine Energy. She earned a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Washington.Although trained as a blue water biological oceanographer, Andrea has spent most of her professional career examining the interactions of humans and the marine environment.

Abstract

The international collaboration WREN (Working Together to Resolve Environmental Effects of Wind Energy) under the IEA Wind Committee identified the application of adaptive management (AM) principles and practices as an important aspect for improving planning, monitoring, and management of wind farms in the US and internationally. WREN is led by the US and involves 10 nations.

AM is a systematic process intended to improve policies and practices by learning from the outcome of management decisions, and has been considered to balance promoting the development of the wind energy industry with significant uncertainty concerning environmental effects. While many nations are considering the use of AM for wind energy, application in practice and in policy has been limited. Recent application of AM has led to fundamental differences in the definition of AM, its application, and to which projects or planning processes it might apply.

This paper suggests a common definition and framework for AM, based on the US Department of the Interior’s AM definition and guidance. The process of defining and applying AM to land-based and offshore wind farms was examined and examples gathered of the use of the system from US and European countries. The challenges and opportunities associated with implementation of AM for wind development are addressed; management actions in several nations that exhibit attributes of AM are compared; and pathways to appropriate application and potential broader use of AM are addressed.

The paper recommends improvements that could be made to AM guidance including:
• Adoption of a universal definition of adaptive management, coupled with an agreed-upon set of eligibility criteria;
• Careful consideration to the optimal spatial and temporal scales for wind energy AM that can be meaningfully informed by reducing scientific uncertainty. For example, AM may be applied to a single project but is more likely to be useful applied at a larger scale to inform planning for future projects;
• Careful application of AM to wind energy is needed to ensure that it does not interfere with project financing models or harm resources protected by each nation; and
• Formal processes and structures are needed within regulatory bodies for the use of environmental impact data from existing projects in order to create learning and useful application to future projects.

Authors

Andrea Copping (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Luke Hanna (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

Topic Areas

Assessing direct and indirect effects on wildlife and their habitats , Evaluating novel approaches (e.g., conceptual, methodological, technological) to avoiding, , Bats , Risk prediction , Testing the efficacy of efforts intended to minimize or compensate for impacts to species , Birds , Threatened or endangered species , Europe , U.S. - No Specific Region , Impact assessment , Mitigation , Methodology , Land-based

Session

10 » Furthering Understanding of Siting and Assessment (15:55 - Thursday, 1st December, Interlocken Ballroom)

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