In today’s world we are facing
mammoth problems such as global warming; due to this scientists are trying to discover
as many alternate forms of sustainable energy which will in no way damage our
environment. The concept of zero carbon cities, which we spoke about in our
previous blogpost is completely based on sustainable energy and marks the way
forward for our planet. The day is nearing when all the energy we consume will
run on renewable sources of energy; this is because all our reserves of oil,
gas and coal will run out. Some of these renewable sources of energy are solar
energy and wind energy, which have gained a lot of visibility and are being
used the world over. Another form of alternative energy which has off late been
the main topic of discussion among scientists is ocean energy.
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| The Wavebob, a device used to convert ocean energy into electricity |
The seven seas are
full of energy, they are suppose to be the world’s largest solar energy
collector and storage system. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory believes
that on an average day, the sea absorbs solar radiation which is equivalent to around
250 billion barrels of oil.
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| Oyster, wave energy converter |
Ocean energy would seem like the
most obvious form of alternate energy, as 70% of our planet is made up of water
bodies. However, there are many technological hurdles which need to be crossed
before ocean energy can yield something concrete. The greatest hurdle when it
comes to ocean energy is if it could be financially viable? However certain
companies have taken up this huge challenge.
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| Greenwave, a shallow water oscillating column |
One country doing tons of
research on ocean energy is Australia .
Ocean energy has an umpteen amount of potential in Australia
as it lies on the southern coastline. This belt faces waves which are over a
meter in height, which make it an endless energy source and have the potential
to generate gigantic amounts of electricity. The three top companies
specializing in ocean energy in Australia
have already started their projects and we should hope to see some great work
being done in this field in the near future.
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| Biowave, an underwater ocean energy converter |
Another country witnessing a lot
of research in ocean energy is Ireland .
There are several reasons why Ireland
is the ideal country to invest in ocean energy. One of those main reasons is
that the Irish government has allotted a large chunk of its energy portfolio
for ocean energy. By 2050 Ireland
plans to export most of its marine renewables to other countries that are a
part of the EU. There are four companies that each have their own technology,
they plan to combine these different technologies and pave the way forward for
ocean energy in Ireland.
