Applicability of offshore mooring and foundation technologies for marine renewable energy (MRE) device arrays

The marine renewable energy (MRE) sector is progressing from single device units to device arrays. Currently, the mooring/foundation technologies used in MRE are based on offshore oil/gas industry practices. The function/type of mooring/foundation system is determined by a number of factors including cost, site characteristics, expected environmental loading and environmental or legislative constraints. For MRE arrays to reach commercialization, several issues need to be addressed including the hydrodynamic array layout, electrical infrastructure, operations, maintenance, control, moorings, foundations, installation and logistics. In this paper, the applicability of offshore mooring/foundation technologies for marine renewable energy device arrays is assessed. The paper introduces the criteria which can be used to appraise technologies and approaches relevant toMREdevices. Existing mooring/foundation technologies used in the offshore industry are summarized with examples given of MRE device deployments. The guidance from certification agencies which is used for the design and analysis of mooring/foundation systems is discuss