Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference 2009: Profile – Dallas J. Meggitt

We’re in the final countdown towards the Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference 2009. In anticipation, we’re running a series of mini-profiles of our OREC members who will be moderating our conference panels to give you a sense of the quality and substance that we intend to deliver.

Dallas J. Meggitt
Technical Director
Sound & Sea Technology, Inc.

What changes have you noticed in the industry since the time that you began working in the field until now? I have seen a perceptible change in public awareness of renewable energy.  Accompanying this change has been an increase in demand to bring more renewable energy into the public energy portfolio.  The public needs to feel secure regarding where there energy will come from in the future.  The industry has responded to this need with new technologies, and pressing forward with the development of existing technologies.   I have seen a maturing of several of the technologies, particularly UK and European.  There is more emphasis on performance data and demonstrations in realistic field conditions.

How do you see the marine renewable industry helping our economy? The marine renewable industry is about innovation. Innovation inevitably creates new investment and employment opportunities, and these are direct benefits to the economy.  In addition, new innovative technologies have yet to be realized benefits that can lead to other economic enhancements.  Technologies that reduce reliance on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions improve national economic security.

What, if anything, makes the marine renewables industry different from other industries that you’ve worked with? The variety of new ideas and technological approaches in the marine renewable industry is incredible.  There are no previously developed technologies (or industrial advancements) that provide a roadmap to the successful development of a single device, no design concepts to copy or fall back on.  Several approaches have shown promise and it is likely that multiple designs will be required to harvest the full range of energy available.  This industry is open to and accepting of new ideas and concepts.

What do you find most exciting about the marine renewables industry? I think the innovation mentioned above, the variety of technical approaches and the sense of being involved at the beginning of an exciting endeavor make participating in this new, emerging industry truly energizing.  I view this as a chance to help change the process of how we (the human race) meet our energy needs.  It feels as if we are on the cusp of a revolution in how we approach energy, and how our children will move forward to gather energy using sustainable methods.

What, in your opinion, are the top two to three developments needed to bring marine renewables to commercialization? I first would suggest that a disciplined engineering approach to design of marine renewable systems is needed.  There have been too many failures that can be attributed to a lack of application of the appropriate engineering expertise and experience. These failures cost the industry credibility in the perceptions of investors and decision-makers. Second, I think there is a need for documented field demonstration of the performance of the various approaches to extracting marine energy, with sound science to back up the field work.  The industry has to show that this stuff works and can be made economically competitive.  Third, I think, like any industry, the marine renewable industry requires standard methodologies for resource assessment and standards for assessment of performance in the varied conditions characteristic of the ocean.   This is the only way that technologies can be compared to each other and decisions made about requirements for additional developments and appropriate applications.
In addition, a national strategy is needed to advance the industry with subsidized and characterized test areas for tidal and wave energy where innovators can test and demonstrate the performance of devices without the huge overhead of individual environmental permitting, which takes years and costs millions of dollars.  Permitting the test site once for the variety of devices to be tested would relieve the excessive costs if every developer is required to permit their own projects.  The resources in these areas would be characterized, the sites instrumented and equipped with standardized data acquisition systems to assess the device performance and the interaction with the environment. This would expedite commercialization of the various technologies.

What are your predictions for the marine renewables industry over the next 3-5 years? I think that some existing technologies will move from demonstration phase to pre-commercial levels.  Industry standards to measure resource assessment and device performance will begin to emerge and the industry will push forward in accepting these standardized methods.   I see the public pressure to increase investment in renewable energy as sustained or even increasing over the next 3-5 years.  And I see need to reduce the U.S. dependency on imported fossil fuels playing a key role in developing the marine renewable industry.

Dallas J. Meggitt is the Technical Director of Sound & Sea Technology, Inc. (SST), headquartered in Lynnwood, WA with offices in Wenatchee WA and in Ventura and San Diego CA. SST is an engineering services firm specializing in ocean engineering, renewable ocean energy, undersea cable systems, anti- and counter-terrorism, and port and harbor security.