Assessing the Risk of Hurricane Damage to Marine Hydrokinetic Devices

With the potential to increase the deployment of offshore renewable energy, system planners and decision-makers need to understand the risks and benefits associated with each technology. Techno-economic studies of offshore devices provide critical support to decision-makers that can ultimately affect the reliability of the US power grid. The risk of hurricane damage has attracted substantial attention in the modeling of wind energy technology (NREL, 2018; Rose, 2012). While marine hydrokinetic devices can contribute to a more diversified offshore renewable energy portfolio in the future, the vulnerability of these technologies to hurricane damage has not received the same level of attention. Fragility curves can be used to link environment conditions to the risk of equipment failure. While fragility curves exist for wind turbines, transmission and distribution lines, substations, and conventional power plants, no such curves exist for wave and ocean current energy. The lack of fragility curves for marine hydrokinetic devices inhibits our ability to analyze their susceptibility to damage from hurricanes. We posit that the mooring lines associated with marine devices pose a critical vulnerability that needs to be considered when constructing fragility curves.

DeCarolis, J.F. (PI), de Queiroz, A.R. (co-PI), Gabr, M.A. (co-PI), Assessing the Risk of Hurricane Damage to Marine Hydrokinetic Devices, Funded by the UNC Coastal Studies Institute, Renewable Ocean Energy for North Carolina Program, 2021-2022

Analysis Framework - Assessing the Risk of Hurricane Damage to Marine Hydrokinetic Devices