Harnessing Energy from the Ocean: Tidal and Wave Power

To offset global warming, the demand for emission free sources of energy is slowly on the rise. Ocean power provides humankind an alternative to energy systems that produce greenhouse gases. Since waves, tides, and currents all have energy, it’s possible to use the sea as a power source. Harnessing this vast source of renewable energy for the global market is certainly no easy task. For the past 40 years, wave and tidal power has shown little success as an economically feasible source of energy. However, what once was considered an expensive source of unreliable energy is now becoming more and more affordable as advances in technology continue to improve. With today’s technology, commercial ocean power facilities are capable of providing consumers a source of cheap and affordable electricity. By giving the consumer an additional benefit in protecting shorelines against storm surge tides, ocean power facilities can have a positive social impact on the local economy.

Waves in the ocean release a tremendous amount kinetic energy. One of the best ways to harness some of the kinetic energy from a wave is through the use of an Oscillation Water Column (OWC). When the waves hit the OWC, the air inside its chamber is compressed and forced through air turbines, thus allowing for the production of electricity. In the past, OWC equipment has had many unsuccessful attempts in withstanding storm surges. Thanks to today’s engineering advancements, wave power facilities are now able to withstand extreme marine conditions. Ocean tides also have large amounts of potential energy. As the tides flow in and out, the potential energy can be captured through the use of tidal power stations. During high tide, water is able to flow through turbines to produce electricity. When the tide begins to recede, a gate in the barrage prevents further water flow. At low tide, the gate is raised and the water begins to flow out through the two-way turbines.

There are still some technical difficulties to overcome, but in the next few years, prices will continue to fall and countries will begin to see benefits in ocean power. The countries that financially support the establishment of renewable sources of energy will be able to afford using ocean power facilities on a large scale by the year 2010.