Ocean Energy White Paper: Alternative Energy Production

This paper aims to explore renewable energy devices and technology that harvest electrical energy from ocean currents and waves. This ocean born technology can greatly benefit private and industrial applications. For amplifying details and additional imagery please see the accompanying power point briefing, entitled Ocean Energy Technology. Ocean currents and waves are an underutilized means of energy production today. For example, Maine has an energy density of 40 KW/m, which is enough wave energy to produce 1 megawatt of power with just 25 meters of coastline. Ocean currents in the Gulf Stream could provide 40 KW/m. Today less than 1% of the world's energy production comes from the ocean. If these sources were utilized, the US could possibly receive close to 40% of its energy from the seas. (2) These energy sources can also be used to provide energy for non-traditional power needs (e.g. buoy stations, transiting ships, houseboats, radio transmitter stations, military applications and aids to sea and air navigation). Coastal States Department of Energy, our U.S. Sea Services and numerous major university's (Including University of Washington, MIT, Olin and MMA) provide opportunities for education and conduct research of sea power. With only two offshore ocean current harvesters in operation as of this writing, there is still an enormous need for more research in this field to design a more efficient sea energy system and to consider more duel use deployments is the future.