Oceans As A Power Source

According to Stephen Leahy at Wired, experiments around the world are testing a host of technologies in the coming months aimed at generating electricity from the sea.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Among the most ambitious, planned for this fall, is a 486-ton wave turbine that converts wave motion into electricity and will be anchored off the coast of Australia, 150 miles south of Sydney. Energetech, the Australian company that developed the turbine, said it will be the "'irst plant in the world to make wave energy commercially viable.' A similar turbine is to be installed off Point Judith, Rhode Island, in 2006.

Escalating oil prices and worries about global warming have shifted the quest for renewable energy sources into high gear. While wind and solar claim most of the attention, and hopes are high for high-tech hydrogen, the dark horse in this race may be the restless energy of the sea.

Covering 71 percent of the Earth's surface, the oceans are in essence the world's largest collector of energy from the sun. According to the Department of Energy, waves could generate 2 terawatts of electricity -- enough to meet the world's current electricity needs. Energy embodied in the world's ocean currents and tides is twice that much. However, only a small percentage of this could be tapped and thus far efforts to do so have cost more than the energy they've generated."

Photo credit: NASA