Regen SW acts as a centre of sustainable energy expertise aiming to enable business, local authorities, community groups, and other organisations to deliver ground-breaking renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. The launch of the South West Marine Energy Park (SWMEP) in January 2012 has brought focus on the South West from the renewables industry and investors and Regen SW as a core partner within SWMEP are key facilitators of renewable industry development within the SWMEP.

Three specific aims of the SWMEP can be supported by the application of existing research to understand and plan for interactions of marine renewable energy devices (MRED) with the environment. These are: (a) maximising utilization of the demonstration sites that exist within the South West area (Wave Hub, Lynmouth and Fastest), {b) preparing for the first round of larger commercial leases (100 MW plus) for 2015 or when technological milestones are reached and (c) securing 3 4 "early commercial" projects of 10-30 MW in South West waters by 2017, to exploit 5 ROC banding.

Facilitated through a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) internship novel research and applied tools can be accessed to understand the impacts of renewable energy devices and arrays on both the environment and human activities. Current and developing research within Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and the wider scientific community is available that can assist in reducing uncertainty and risk, support development of cost effective monitoring, and contribute to an evidence base on the cumulative impacts of multiple arrays on the environment and on socio-economic activities. The internship will facilitate knowledge exchange by identifying the issues experienced by industry in assessing environmental and socio-economic risk of developments and applying the expertise of research groups and science areas within PML and the wider scientific community to those problems.

The broad range of science areas available will allow application of research and tools across current NERC Marine Renewables Knowledge Exchange programme areas of priority. Data access and management can be approached through application of autonomous data collection including remote sensing and technology such as buoys at the Western Channel Observatory. Ecosystem models and predictive techniques exist within PML that can potentially be applied to uncertainty and risk while analysis of post implementation monitoring needs have been approached within the applicants NERC PhD study. Remote sensing expertise and predictive modelling resources can be applied to improve cost effective monitoring and also improve assessment of cumulative impacts.

Ultimately this process aims to streamline efficient and comprehensive assessment to aid the specific aims of SWMEP and maximise opportunities for environmentally responsible developments with limited socio-economic impacts. Through this process the activities in the internship will meet the NERC objective of exploring and demonstrating how business, policy and third sector partners in the area of marine renewable energy can make use of scientific knowledge, data, models and other tools to understand interactions of MRE developments with the environment and existing socio-economic activities.