1 | Program Name or Ancillary Texteere.energy.gov Water Power Peer Review Assessment of the Environmental Effects of Hydrokinetic Turbines on Fish: Desktop and Laboratory Flume Studies Paul T. Jacobson Electric Power Research Institute (410) November 3, 2011

2 | Wind and Water Power Programeere.energy.gov Purpose, Objectives, & Integration Objective: determine injury, survival rates and behavioral effects for fish passing through hydrokinetic turbines. As the number of experimental and permanent field applications increase, so will concerns with the effects of installation and operation on aquatic organisms. Direct measurement of injury and survival rates in the field is technically challenging. Laboratory flume testing allows for highly controlled evaluations with the ability to closely monitor fish movements and behavior with underwater video systems and advanced radio telemetry techniques, and to recover and examine all fish that have passed through a turbine.

3 | Wind and Water Power Programeere.energy.gov Purpose, Objectives, & Integration The Wind and Water Power Program supports research and development to identify and address the technical and nontechnical barriers to achieving the potential of advanced water power technologies. Natural resource management agencies and other stakeholders express concerns regarding potential adverse effects of hydrokinetic turbine deployments on fish. Uncertainty regarding the significance of this issue adds uncertainty, cost, and time to permitting and licensing activities. This project constitutes seminal work in hydrokinetic turbine-fish interactions, and provides substantial information to reduce the range of uncertainty and inform permitting and licensing decisions.

4 | Wind and Water Power Programeere.energy.gov Technical Approach The project assessed potential for adverse turbine-fish interactions by: (1)conducting a review of existing information on injury mechanisms associated with fish passage through conventional hydro turbines and determine its relevance and applicability to fish passage through hydrokinetic turbines; (2)developing theoretical models for the probability of blade strike and mortality for various hydrokinetic turbine designs; and (3)conducting flume studies with three turbine designs and several species and size classes of fish to estimate injury and survival rates and describe fish behavior in the vicinity of operating turbines.

5 | Wind and Water Power Programeere.energy.gov Technical Approach The flume studies are the first to empirically quantify fish interactions with hydrokinetic turbines. Fish exhibited a propensity to avoid passing through the area swept by the turbine blades unless physically constrained to pass by that route.

6 | Wind and Water Power Programeere.energy.gov Plan, Schedule, & Budget Schedule Initiation date: 1/1/2010 Planned completion date: October 2011 Public presentations of project results (Hydrovision International, July, 2011; American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, September, 2011; others); DOE-sponsored webcast presentation of project results, August 29, 2011; Internal and external technical and editorial reviews completed October, Budget: Budget fully expended Budget History FY2009FY2010FY2011 DOECost-shareDOECost-shareDOECost-share $401,048$35,000$45,951$0

7 | Wind and Water Power Programeere.energy.gov Accomplishments and Results Evaluation of conventional hydropower literature indicates strike is the predominant source of potential injury and mortality to fish passing through hydrokinetic turbines. Theoretical modeling indicated decreasing passage survival with increasing fish size and approach velocity for one turbine design and 100% survival across all fish sizes and approach velocities modeled for another turbine. The flume studies are the first to empirically quantify fish interactions with hydrokinetic turbines. Fish exhibited a propensity to avoid passing through the area swept by the turbine blades unless physically constrained to pass by that route. Overall, survival exceeded 98% under all test conditions.

8 | Wind and Water Power Programeere.energy.gov Accomplishments and Results The flume studies are the first to empirically quantify fish interactions with hydrokinetic turbines. Fish exhibited a propensity to avoid passing through the area swept by the turbine blades unless physically constrained to pass by that route. Overall, survival exceeded 98% under all test conditions.

9 | Wind and Water Power Programeere.energy.gov Challenges to Date Flume tests in the Alden flume sought to quantify injury and survival rates given passage through the area swept by the turbine blades Fish exhibited a propensity to avoid the blade sweep area Additional measures were taken in attempt to force fish through the turbine: –release immediately in front of unducted turbine –netting to prevent avoidance of ducted turbine

10 | Wind and Water Power Programeere.energy.gov Next Steps Dissemination of project results Future research opportunities: Enhanced observation and quantification of turbine avoidance Injury and survival experiments under additional test conditions: – temperature –ambient light –species, sizes, life stages