About marine energy
A power yet to be explored
Earth is the blue planet. Over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with ocean and sea water. Using the hidden power of such an abundant natural resource is the greatest challenge of the Third Millennium.
Currently, marine energy is an enormous untapped reserve with inexhaustible potential. If we could take full advantage of ocean and sea power, all of the energy consumption forecast by the International Energy Agency (IEA) by 2035 would already be covered. Currently, however, this potential has limitations in terms of cost and the replicability of required technologies.
Seas and oceans have just begun to play a role on the renewable energy stage. The IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) 2019 report confers 500 MW of installed capacity on marine energy, still a far cry from its “elder siblings”. According to IEA’s Ocean Energy System 2014 and Ocean Energy Europe 2016, by 2050 marine energy will have spread mainly throughout Europe, creating an estimated 40,000 jobs and providing up to 100 GW on the Continent, the equivalent of 10% of electricity consumption.
The history of marine energy
The youngest renewable energy
How marine energy works
Two water ways
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Marine power generation systems are strongly bound to technological development. When innovation reaches the right technical and commercial maturity levels, marine energy production will become widespread and extremely advantageous.
Currently, the greatest possibilities to exploit the resource, and the most encouraging prospects from a technological point of view, are Wave Energy and Tidal Stream Energy.
Wave energy is caused by wind blowing across the water, creating periodic surface movement, i.e. waves. Tidal stream energy uses the horizontal water currents caused by vertical variations in the level of water mass, i.e. tides.
Strong points of marine energy
An ocean of opportunities
Predictable and calculable
Waves and tides are always present, and their variations are quantifiable for the most part. Calculations on marine energy production are much more accurate.
Many technologies
The large variety of technologies for generating marine energy make it highly adaptable.
Near usage sites
Port and coastal cities are very close to the source and can quickly enjoy the benefits of renewable energy.
Did you know?
From the ocean floor to the roof of a building
One of the world’s largest potential tidal stream energy sources, as well as the location of the world’s highest tides, is located in the idyllic landscape of Canada’s Bay of Fundy.
Over 6 hours, twice a day, 160 billion tons of water flow in and out of the mouth of the bay. The result is a monumental increase in sea level: 16 meters, the equivalent of a five-story building constructed by the power of the ocean.
This colossal wall of water converges in a long natural bay along the over 300km of Atlantic Ocean coast that separate the peninsula of Nova Scotia from the province of New Brunswick in eastern Canada. The tides are the largest on record worldwide and have a notable dynamic effect on the floor and shores of the bay.