The Ocean Energy Council - Ocean Energy Council

Welcome to OceanEnergyCouncil.com, an online resource about ocean renewable energy.
Use this site to learn about the 5 different types of ocean energy:
wave energy, tidal energy, OTEC energy, offshore wind + ocean current energy.

With the oceans covering over 70% of the earth’s surface, they are the world’s largest collectors of the sun’s vast energy – and the largest powerhouse in the world. Just a small portion of the energy conveniently stored in the oceans could power the world.
Waves get their energy from the wind. Wind comes from solar energy. Waves gather, store, and transmit this energy thousands of miles with little loss. As long as the sun shines, wave energy will never be depleted.
Tidal power is non-polluting, reliable and predictable. Undersea tidal turbines, like wind turbines but driven by the sea, and a variety of machines harnessing undersea currents are under development.
Wind energy is an indirect form of solar energy. While some of the sun's energy is absorbed directly by the air, most of the energy in the wind is first absorbed by the surface of the earth and then transferred to the air by convection.
OTEC energy is based on the temperature differences between surface water, which is heated by the sun, and deep water, which stays very cold. OTEC uses the surface water to make steam and then pass the steam through a turbine generator to make electricity.
Oceanic surface currents are an untapped source of energy. Because of their link to winds and surface heating processes, the ocean currents are considered as indirect sources of solar energy. Click photo to learn more.