Marine/Tidal

Synopsis

Three fourths of the earth is covered with water, as the old adage goes. Yet, while we extract hydropower from our flowing rivers and pull oil and gas from the sea floor, the amount of energy that we actually extract from the oceans themselves is extraordinarily small. This fact is surprising since, while our oceans and other large bodies of water present challenges in making economical survivable structures, they offer essentially "free" real estate for a wide variety of nearly inexhaustible energy sources. Energy sources in the ocean include waves, tidal flow and ocean currents, thermal (both for electrical energy production and thermal cooling) and salinity gradients. Because of the presence of water, our oceans also offer unique opportunities for synergistic activities such as production of hydrogen, providing clean fresh water and cultivating biomass. Additionally, our oceans also offer some prime spots for solar and wind energy harvesting with opportunities for hybrid renewable systems. This symposium offers a look at a variety of marine energy sources under development and considers the technical, economic and environmental challenges in realizing practical clean energy systems in the marine environment.

*If interested in organizing a specific business panel or symposium, please contact Regina Ramazzini .