Looking to the Ocean for Energy Articles | Renewable Energy

By: Richard Chapo

As fossil fuels become a more limited resource, society is casting around for new energy sources. Interestingly, a lot of interest in the ocean as an energy platform is starting to be generated.

The oceans of the world are obviously vast. They also contain a massive amount of energy in them. One needs only look back a few years to the tsunami in Asia to understand this. While it is clear there is plenty of energy, the question is whether we can convert it into a renewable energy source. The answer is we are already starting to.

Wind power is already an accepted energy platform in many countries in the world. German, China, Japan and the United States all make use of it. The problem with wind energy is it takes a large number of turbines spread over a good chunk of land to make it viable. Land tends to be expensive. The ocean, of course, is another story. There is plenty of wind and platforms can be erected offshore with a minimum of cost compared to onshore wind farms. Countries such as Japan and the US are doing this now.

Tides are caused by the gravitational effect of the moon on the earth. They may seem like fairly languid things, but consider how much energy is involved in moving a vast amount of water. In some places in the world, tides may move up and down a shoreline by as much as forty feet. What if we could harness the energy in that moving water? Well, they are already doing it in France. Along the Atlantic Coast, the French have created tidal energy platforms that essentially use an upside down wind turbine to capture the energy. As the tide flows by, it turns the turbine fans. They then crank a generator that produces electricity. The program is in the experimental stages, but could be the basis of an energy platform for shoreline communities the world over.

Wave energy platforms are similar to tidal platforms. The obvious difference is waves occur on a regular cycle and bring bursts of energy. In Japan, a wave energy system is being tested that is fairly creative. It works by funneling waves as they approach the shore. As the waves move into the funnel structure, they are squeezed and intensify. This focused energy is then run by underwater turbines. The initial tests show the process produces a lot of energy, but wear and tear on the turbine fans is significant. As better materials are produced, this may also become a viable energy platform for many communities along shores.

There is no disputing that ocean energy platforms are in their infancy. With so much energy out there, however, it only takes one successful strategy to make a big difference.