```

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 114 (Tuesday, June 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34684-34685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14659]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Offshore Renewable Energy; Public Meeting on Information Needs 
for Resource Assessment and Design Conditions

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting for interested parties 
to provide DOE information on existing needs for acquiring 
meteorological and oceanographic information to support cost-effective 
deployment of offshore renewable energy plants, particularly wind and 
marine hydrokinetic (MHK) technologies.

DATES: The meeting will be held Thursday, June 23, 2011, from 8:30 a.m. 
to 5:30 p.m., and Friday, June 24, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Hyatt Regency Crystal City, 2799 Jefferson Davis Hwy., 
Arlington, VA 22202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stan Calvert at 
stan.calvert@ee.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the meeting is for DOE to 
obtain input regarding the development of accurate meteorological and 
oceanographic information for evaluating the energy potential, economic 
viability, and engineering requirements of offshore project sites. The 
meeting is an opportunity for participants to provide, based on their 
individual experience, individual information and facts regarding this 
topic. It is not the object of this session to obtain any group 
position or consensus. Rather, the Department is seeking as many 
recommendations as possible from all individuals at this meeting.
    The public meeting will consist of an initial plenary session in 
which invited speakers will survey information availability and needs 
for various applications related to offshore renewable energy. For the 
remainder of the meeting, breakout groups will be used to provide 
participants an opportunity to present to DOE information on the 
specified areas regarding existing gaps in observations and 
computational products. These groups will be an opportunity to provide 
comment on information needs for the following applications:

1. Forecasting

    Initialize, constrain, and improve appropriate forecast models 
addressing periods of hours to days ahead for winds, waves, and 
currents.

2. Energy Projections/Performance Monitoring

    Estimate energy to be produced by an offshore renewable energy 
plant. Once plants are in place, information would also be required to 
evaluate the plants actual production and determine causes for changes 
in its performance.

3. Technology Design and Validation

    Design and validate energy devices for the marine environment that 
would predictably withstand physical loads on energy devices in the 
marine environment while operating at optimum efficiency.

4. Facility Design

    Effectively design offshore energy plants as a whole, including 
designs that would account for interactions among individual devices 
and for siting issues.

5. Operations Planning/Site Safety

    Effectively schedule and execute O&M activities, including safe 
facility access and response to extreme events.
    The meeting is intended to hear from experts involved in planning, 
deployment, operation, and regulation of offshore wind and marine 
hydrokinetic energy, experts involved in meteorological and oceanic 
disciplines relevant to offshore energy, as well as the interested 
public. However, the meeting will not focus on environmental impact or 
management issues, which are being addressed by separate efforts. While 
participation is open to all interested parties, the breakout structure 
of the meeting will limit its overall size to about 100 participants. 
When the meeting is fully subscribed, registration will be closed.
    To register, please visit http://www.sentech.org/Offshore_RADC_Meeting/.

Tentative Agenda (Subject To Change)

Day 1

7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m.
    Registration and continental breakfast
8:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m.
    Welcome and plenary session
10:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
    Break
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
    First breakout sessions
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
    Lunch
1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

[[Page 34685]]

    Second breakout sessions
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
    Break
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
    Plenary session--breakout reports

Day 2

8 a.m.-8:30 a.m.
    Continental breakfast
8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
    Third breakout sessions
10:30 a.m. -11 a.m.
    Break
11 a.m.-12 p.m.
    Closing plenary: breakout reports and closing comments

Registration and Accommodations

    A room-block for meeting participants has been established at the 
Hyatt Regency Crystal City. The room block is limited and is not 
guaranteed after Friday, June 10.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2011.
Mark A. Higgins,
Acting Program Manager, Wind and Hydropower Technologies, Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2011-14659 Filed 6-13-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
```