Ocean Energy is all forms of renewable energy derived from the ocean that is still at an early stage of commercialisation. Wave Energy remains more costly than the other ocean technologies. Tidal range has been deployed in locations globally where there is a strong tidal resource (for example La Rance in France, Sihwa in South Korea), while tidal stream has been demonstrated at pilot scale. There are four main types of ocean technology:
Tidal Movement: Potential energy associated with tides can be harnessed by building barrage or other forms of construction across an estuary, while kinetic energy associated with tidal currents can be harnessed using modular systems.
Wave Motion: Kinetic and potential energy associated with ocean waves can be harnessed using modular technologies.
Temperature Gradient: Thermal energy due to the temperature gradient between the sea surface and deepwater can be harnessed using different Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) processes.
Salinity Gradient: At the mouth of rivers where fresh water mixes with salt water, energy associated with the salinity gradient can be harnessed using pressure-retarded reverse osmosis process and associated conversion technologies.
Related Definitions in the Project: The Ocean Energy; Renewable Energy; Energy Definitions
Example Article of the Ocean Thermal Energy:
Ocean Thermal Energy: The Future of Renewable Power? (Source: Oil Price on 15 November 2023): By Haley Zaremba - Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is the oldest renewable energy technology you’ve never heard of. The idea for the technology, which exploits the differing temperatures in different layers of ocean water to create energy, is almost 150 years old, but is only now gaining traction for practical application. While OTEC will likely never take over the energy industry, it could become an essential source of energy for island nations and other coastal communities in the decarbonization era. London company Global OTEC plans to bring the first commercial-scale ocean thermal energy generator online as soon as 2025. And just last week oil supermajor Shell Technology signed a deal with Makai Ocean Engineering to test and develop “potentially transformative proprietary technologies” including an OTEC system. ...
