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Key points about the Marine Energy Glossary
Is the glossary really necessary?
Yes. Other industries that operate offshore, such as upstream oil/gas and shipping, have been active for many years and the meanings of common technical terms and symbols are generally accepted. They are defined and disseminated in a large number of academic papers, textbooks, guidance notes and codes of practice. Marine renewables, in contrast, is still in it’s infancy and a widespread, general understanding of key technical terms has not yet developed. For example, when discussing the period of a sea wave, one may choose between the terms zero up-crossing period, peak period or energy period, which have subtlety different meanings, (see previous article). It is important to understand these differences and choose the right metric when describing the energy capture performance of a wave energy device.
Is the Glossary absolutely definitive?
No, although considerable care has gone into preparing the definitions, including a process of peer review. The glossary definitions reflect the current understanding of Entec and the Carbon Trust, which has been developed by working closely with device developers and engineering consultants in the MEC. However, it is important to recognise that marine energy devices have been developed over many years in several countries around the world, and investigators have sometimes used other definitions and nomenclature. As the marine renewables industry grows it is anticipated that there will be increasing levels of agreement about terminology, and the glossary is offered as a step along the path towards this. In time, new definitions may be added and existing definitions adapted as the industry’s technical understanding develops and more experience is gained.
Is the Glossary completely exhaustive?
No, although thought has been put into which terms should be included. As already noted, new definitions may be included and existing definitions adapted over time. The glossary concentrates only on those terms that are specific to wave energy and tidal stream energy, and although this has overlaps some other areas of engineering and science, no attempt has been made to define terms that are generic to all areas. These can be readily obtained from textbooks or other engineering and scientific literature.
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