Testing marine energy technologies is inherently more complex and time consuming than it is for land-based energy generation technologies. The slow pace of testing cycles, partially due to expensive and time-consuming permitting processes, is further exacerbated by the limited availability of testing infrastructure at various scales and expensive environmental monitoring. These challenges severely limit the ability of technology developers to quickly assess the performance of devices and components, innovate solutions where necessary, and deploy the next generation of devices. These challenges associated with testing, deploying, and optimizing technologies in a timely and cost-effective manner must be overcome to accelerate the pace of marine energy technology development.

Through its Reducing Barriers to Testing Activity Area, WPTO aims to address these challenges through the following approaches:

• Enable access to world-class testing facilities
• Ensure that existing data is accessible and used by regulators 
• Focus research on mitigating environmental risks and reducing the cost and complexity of permitting and environmental monitoring
• Engage in relevant coastal planning processes to ensure that marine energy interests are considered.

Watch a video on how WPTO is prioritizing environmental protections and improvements across all its marine energy research and development projects.