As global electricity demand grows, traditional energy sources are under strain.
As global electricity demand grows, traditional energy sources are under strain. Oceans, which cover more than 70% of Earth’s surface, offer vast potential for clean energy from renewable resources such as ocean currents and waves.
However, marine renewable energy development is still in its early stages compared to wind and solar power. One challenge is identifying the most feasible and economically viable locations for ocean current energy projects. While many studies have focused on regional ocean current energy resource assessment, a global evaluation based on actual data has been lacking – until now.
Using more than 30 years of measured data from NOAA’s Global Drifter Program (GDP), a unique study from the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University provides the most comprehensive global assessment of ocean current energy to date. And there’s great news for Southeast Florida.
Researchers explored the potential of capturing kinetic energy from ocean currents, focusing on power density estimation and its variation over time and location. The GDP includes about 1,250 satellite-tracked buoys that measure ocean currents and their positions. For this study, researchers used more than 43 million data points from March 1988 to September 2021.
Read more at Florida Atlantic University
Photo Credit: Kanenori via Pixabay
