Renewable Ocean Energy

The oceans represent a vast and largely untapped source of energy in the form of fluid flow (currents, waves, and tides - also termed hydrokinetics) and thermal and salinity gradients. There are a number of approaches to extracting energy from the ocean, though most remain in the investigation or demonstration phase:

• Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC)
• Salinity gradient power (Osmotic Power)
• Tidal power
• Wave power
• Wind power

The biggest theoretical global ocean energy resource is within Wave power and (offshore) Wind power.