As global energy demand increases, traditional sources are tense. However, ocean energy generated from the flow has emerged as a viable candidate for clean energy.
The ocean covers about 70% of the planet’s surface. In other words, ocean energy is highly exploitable by clean energy from renewable resources such as currents and waves.
However, the development of ocean energy is still in its early stages compared to wind and solar power generation. One challenge is to identify the most feasible and economically viable locations for marine current energy projects.
Many studies focus on regional marine current energy resources assessments, but so far there has been a lack of global assessments based on real data.
Using more than 30 years of measurement data from NOAA’s Global Drifter Program (GDP), unique research from the University of Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University provides the most comprehensive global assessment of marine current energy to date.
Florida and South Africa’s coasts emerge as the best locations for marine energy production
Researchers investigated the possibility of capturing kinetic energy from ocean currents, focusing on power density estimation and time and location variation.
The results revealed that waters on the East Coast of Florida and off the coast of South Africa consistently exhibit high power densities, ideal for generating ocean energy.
Specifically, these regions exhibited power densities of over 2,500 watts per square meter. This is a value that is 2.5 times more dense than “good” wind energy resources.
Relatively shallow water further increases compatibility for energy extraction using ocean current turbines. In contrast, regions such as Japan and parts of South America did not exhibit similar power densities at these depths.
“Our study revealed that approximately 75% of the total high power density area covering approximately 490,000 square kilometers of the ocean had energy levels of 500-1,000 watts per square meter,” explained the first author and graduate research assistant at the PhD, PhD, College of Engineering and the University of Computer Science.
“This suggests there is a high possibility of harvesting energy from ocean currents, especially in areas where electricity density is moderate but important for sustainable energy production.”
We estimate that power density solidifies the potential of the production area
High power densities of over 2,000 watts per square meter have been found off the southeast coast of the United States, from Florida to North Carolina, along the eastern and southeast coasts of Africa (Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Madagascar).
Lower power densities can be found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines), northern South America (Guiana, Brazil and France), and in the East Coast of Australia.
Another important finding from this study was the accuracy of power density estimation. In North America and Japan, calculations are extremely reliable and give confidence in potential forecasts of marine energy.
Furthermore, comparisons with existing studies confirmed the reliability of the results in these areas as it was estimated that measurements obtained through other measurement methods are closely matched.
However, South Africa and parts of South America, particularly in northern Brazil and off the coast of Guiana in France, have been difficult to assess due to limited data or very diverse water conditions.
Dr. Yufei Tang, who co-authored the study, said: “Regions like Brazil and South Africa have limited data available, which impacts the accuracy of energy predictions and makes it difficult to fully assess the potential for energy extraction.
“Expanding data collection will improve understanding and unlock the full energy potential.”
Challenges in deep sea locations
The findings also show that regions such as South Africa and Japan, where electricity density is high, pose more challenges due to deeper water and complex flow patterns.
Deep sea areas (over 1,000 meters) make energy extraction more difficult.
Another co-author, Dr. James Vansweeten, said:
“Strong currents are close to the surface of the ocean, and the total water depth usually ranges from 250 meters to 3,000 meters or more.
“This presents a critical challenge as it requires sophisticated mooring systems to keep the turbine stable and operational.
“Increasing depth also raises concerns about the cost and complexity of installation and maintenance, and is essential for developing specialized technologies for these challenging environments.”
The role of seasons in marine energy production
Seasonal variation also plays an important role in energy availability. In warmer months of the Northern Hemisphere (June to August), higher power densities were observed in regions such as Florida, Japan and Northern Brazil, in line with the increase in energy demand over these months.
Similarly, South Africa’s highest power density occurs during warm months (December to February).
These seasonal patterns show that marine current energy is well matched with the period of higher electricity demand associated with increased air conditioning usage, and is a potentially reliable source of renewable energy.
Findings from this study highlight the need to carefully consider these variables, and the energy characteristics provided will help to enable efficient integration of ocean current energy into a wider renewable energy environment.
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