4. The Outlook
• Energy demand will continue to grow strongly;
• Alternatives to “Business as Usual” (BAU) can limit
emissions to acceptable levels;
• Strong environmental policies will be required;
• Expanding the use of renewable;
• Alternatives to present sources will be challenging
to implement at the needed scale.
5. Ocean Energy
• The oceans cover 75% of the world surface
• It is the largest renewable energy source available to contribute
to the security of energy supply and reduce greenhouse gases
emissions.
• Generation of electricity from the waves, the tides, the currents,
the salinity gradient, and the thermal gradient.
Two types of categories: thermal energy from the sun's
heat, and mechanical energy from the tides and waves.
• It is a predictable source of renewable energy with potential to
satisfy (eg. meteorology).
6. Waves
• First patent on wave energy conversion was issued early in
1799, and, already in 1909.
• Take advantage of wave’s energy (their movement) so the
turbine could be put in action.
• Wave energy conversion is being investigated in a number
of EU countries, major activity is also ongoing outside
Europe, mainly in Canada, China, India, Japan, Russia, and
the USA.
7. Wave energy systems
Shore line divices:
• Easier installation and
maintenance;
• Not require long lengths of
underwater electrical cable.
Offshore divices:
• More powerfull wave
regimes
• Recent designs for offshore;
devices concentrate on small,
modular devices.
8. Tides
• Exploit the natural rise and fall of the level principally by the interaction
of the gravitational fields in the Earth-Sun-Moon system;
• Very similar to the technology used in traditional hydroelectric power
plants.
Tidal range energy (the
potential energy from the
difference in height between
high and low tides)
Tidal current energy (the
horizontal movement, i.e. the
kinetic energy of the water).
10. Thermal Gradient
• Due to solar heating, the top layer of the water is much warmer than
deep ocean water;
• This difference has to be at least 3,5ºC so it could be an advantage
for the thermal machine.
11. Advantages and Disadvantages
• In general all of them depends on the season, geographic location
and weather condition;
• When the algae attatched on the system, it may produce methane
and increases his concentration in the water;
• In case of thermal gradient energy, the cost of construction is low,
has good efficiency (40-70 kW /m of wave) although the cost of
inland transport is big.
12. • Ocean/tidal/wave resources are immense yet diffuse and
expensive to exploit;
• Its an energy that have big potential to be more developed;
• In future this could represent another solution in renewables
sources of energy so that the management in this area could
be a more sustainable business.
Conclusions
