ABSTRACT
Offshore renewable energy technologies and projects face a large number of non-technical barriers and challenges to their development and deployment. In this chapter, we provide a description and discussion of the major general barriers and challenges linked to environmental, safety, regulatory and licensing, competing uses, skills, supply chain and infrastructures, and financial issues. Reference is also made to the IEA–RETD RENBAR project and report (IEA, 2010), which focuses on non-technical barriers (specifically on environmental, administrative and social acceptability barriers) and best practices for a number of renewable energy technologies, including offshore wind, wave and tidal. Where applicable, country- and technology-specific barriers are highlighted and case studies presented. After analysing each type of barrier, this chapter goes on to describe the associated mitigation measures that can help to remove those barriers.
