Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will receive about $6.8 million to help make a reality renewable power production from ocean tides and free-flowing rivers.

The bulk of the money awarded by the Department of Energy, $3.45 million, will be used to study how such renewable power production might affect fish and other aquatic life.

"This work will help remove the roadblocks that currently prevent developers from putting tidal-, wave- and current-powered machines in the water," said Charlie Brandt, director of PNNL's Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim. Research will be conducted over three years by staff at PNNL offices in Richland, Sequim, Portland and Seattle.

Installing technology in the ocean or in undammed stretches of rivers to produce renewable power could have several potential impacts on fish.

A turbine, paddlewheel or other device likely would need to be installed, presenting a potential hazard to fish from spinning pieces of the equipment.

Research is needed to see how fish react to blades, which would be at 90 degrees to the water flow.

Scientists want to learn whether fish will see the blades as they swim in hard flows and whether and how often they can move out of the way, Brandt said. The fish behavior may change based on the type of machinery.

Because the devices are connected to the power grid, an induced electromagnetic field will be present. Researchers don't know how that will affect species that detect prey based on their prey's electromagnetic field.

They'll also be looking at whether noise affects fish and whether producing power could create ocean "dead zones" by interfering with water circulation and nutrient patterns.

Among the first experiments planned is a look at how fish and other marine animals behave when exposed to noise and electromagnetic fields in a controlled environment in a laboratory tank, Brandt said. Fish that live on the ocean bottom such as flounder, plus sea urchins, mussels and oysters may be observed.

The study will prioritize risks that ocean and free-flowing freshwater power generation have on wildlife and predict the long-term impact of full-scale energy installations. PNNL will work with collaborators, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee; Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico; the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center with members Oregon State University and University of Washington; the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Pacific Energy Ventures, an Oregon renewable energy consulting firm.

The remainder of the money will be used by PNNL to support advanced water power technology projects being led by other national laboratories. The projects include evaluating devices for ocean and river renewable power, water flow forecasting for hydroelectric power plants and studying effects at dams, including how variable stream flows affect fish and greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs.