Description: A good understanding of metocean (meteorological and oceanographic) data is fundamental to the success of all marine renewable projects as this information will serve to characterise the available resource for energy yield, the design requirements for survivability of the project and the strategy for maintenance and accessibility.

This guide has been developed to identify and recommend on the uses of metocean data through the life cycle of a marine renewable energy development and serve as a helpful reference to inform project developers, engineers, marine surveyors, environmental consultants and other key stakeholders who will benefit from a wider appreciation of metocean issues. The document includes a review of metocean data types, data sources and identifies the importance for good data management.

Keywords: coastal and marine, health and safety, climate change, energy

Contents: Summary, Acknowledgements, Contents, List of tables, List of figures, Glossary, Abbreviations and acronyms, Symbols, 1 INTRODUCTION, 1.1 Purpose and limitations, 1.2 Structure of these guidelines, 1.3 How to use these guidelines, 2 CURRENT STATUS OF MARINE RENEWABLE PROJECTS, 2.1 Overview, 2.2 Present standards, 2.3 Offshore wind, 2.4 Wave and tidal stream, 2.5 Summary, 3 METOCEAN DATA, 3.1 Terminologies, 3.1.1 Water movements, 3.1.2 Offshore wind, 3.1.3 Sea state, 3.2 Data provenance, 3.2.1 Ownership, 3.2.2 Quality, 3.2.3 Temporal reference, 3.2.4 Spatial reference, 3.2.5 Origin, 3.3 Data sources 33 3.3.1 Water movements 34 3.3.2 Offshore wind 36 3.3.3 Waves, 3.4 Data products, 3.4.1 Definition, 3.4.2 Site specific post-processing, 3.4.3 Design and planning analyses, 3.4.4 Metocean atlases, 3.4.5 Forecast products, 3.5 Climate variability, 3.6 Data management, 4 PROJECT LIFECYCLE, 4.1 Technical elements, 4.2 Phase of development, 4.3 Project risks, 5 PRE-LEASE ISSUES, 5.1 Overview, 5.2 Site selection, 5.3 Project feasibility, 6 PRE-CONSENT ISSUES, 6.1 Overview, 6.2 Gap analysis, 6.3 Initial site investigations, 6.4 Environmental impact assessment, 6.5 Conceptual design, 6.6 Resource validation, 6.6.1 Offshore wind, 6.6.2 Waves, 6.6.3 Tidal stream, 7 PRE-CONSTRUCTION ISSUES, 7.1 Overview, 7.2 Consent conditions, 7.3 Detailed site investigations, 7.4 Detailed design, 7.4.1 Extreme conditions, 7.4.2 Fatigue loads, 7.4.3 Downtime analysis, 7.5 Operation and maintenance strategy, 7.5.1 Operations, 7.5.2 Maintenance, 7.5.3 Site accessibility, 7.6 Planning and procurement, 7.7 Pre-construction monitoring, 8 CONSTRUCTION ISSUES, 8.1 Overview, 8.2 Construction, 8.3 Marine Forecasts, 8.4 Construction monitoring, 9 POST-CONSTRUCTION ISSUES, 9.1 Overview, 9.2 Operation and maintenance, 9.3 Performance validation, 9.4 Post-construction monitoring, 10 DECOMMISSIONING ISSUES, 10.1 Overview, 10.2 Decommissioning, 11 SUMMARY REMARKS