Abstract
Harnessing the energy of waves is a developing field. There are still many areas within the wave-energy industry that require further research, including potential effects on the environment. The Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC) test sites will allow researchers to monitor and better understand any effects so that informed decisions about marine energy development can be made. The environmental effects are unique to each wave-energy device, due to variations in size, material, operation, and placement. Further, the cumulative effects of a commercial installation of many devices may be greater than those of only a few devices being tested.