摘要:
A new generation of hydropower technologies, the kinetic hydro and waveenergy conversion devices, offers the possibility of generating electricity from the movements ofwater, without the need for dams and diversions. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 encouraged thedevelopment of these sources of renewable energy in the United States, and there is growing interestin deploying them globally. The technologies that would extract electricity from free-flowingstreams, estuaries, and oceans have not been widely tested. Consequently, the U.S. Department ofEnergy convened a workshop to (1) identify the varieties of hydrokinetic energy and wave energyconversion devices and their stages of development, (2) identify where these technologies can bestoperate, (3) identify the potential environmental issues associated with these technologies andpossible mitigation measures, and (4) develop a list of research needs and/or practical solutions toaddress unresolved environmental issues. We review the results of that workshop, focusing onpotential effects on freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems, and we describe recent nationaland international developments.