Ecosystem services provided by the Baltic Sea ... - Naturvårdsverket

SWEDISH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Report 5873 • Ecosystem services provided by the Baltic Sea and Skagerrak
Economic Marine Information
Status, threats and consequences
Status
Sustainability of use
Level of threat
Expected consequences
Good
Sustainable
Low
Limited
There are no threats to the provision of wave energy, nor can the use of this in any
way diminish its value (i.e. become unsustainable).
Although wave power stations are still rare and mostly at an experimental or development
stage, this energy sector is growing in Sweden and elsewhere. In Wales,
for example, the construction of the world’s biggest wave energy plant has commenced.
At Islandsberg in Skagerrak a plant is currently set up by researchers from
Uppsala University for a full scale test to run from 2008 to 2014. (197). In close
cooperation with researchers at the Division for Electricity, Department of Engineering
Sciences, at Uppsala University, Seabased Industry AB is planning to build
a pilot plant in Skagerrak. At the completion of this plant in 2010, it may include as
many as 2000 generators (using approximately 2 km 2 ) with a maximal effect of 20
MW, thus producing 50 GW/year (198). Although the benefits of using energy
from the sea as a resource of power are considerable, it is nonetheless easy to imagine
how the large-scale distribution of such plants could impact the ecosystem
through habitat alteration, possible sound pollution as well as other disturbances,
particularly during construction. Meanwhile, new artificial underwater environments,
like those presented by the wave plants, might in fact attract certain species
(providing additional hard surfaces) while naturally offering local protection
against fishing.
Examples of knowledge gaps
There is much to learn about wave energy and its potential. First, technological
improvements are required. Efficiency has to be increased, as well as resistance to
the detrimental effects of corrosion and severe weather conditions. Secondly,
environmental consequences need to be extensively investigated, in the same way
as environmental impacts of offshore wind farms are investigated. If wave energy
is to become extensively exploited, areas have to be set aside for this purpose,
based on sound knowledge about the distribution of benthic habitats. Finally, largescale
wave power can only become a realistic alternative if gaining economic
strength.
125