New study maps global ocean energy potential

Conducted by engineers at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), the research examined the potential of capturing kinetic energy from ocean currents using data collected as part of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Global Drifter Program (GDP).

The GDP features about 1,250 satellite-tracked buoys that measure ocean currents and their positions. Taking more than 43 million GDP data points from March 1988 to September 2021, the FAU team was able to estimate ocean power density and its variation over time and location. 

High power densities of over 2,000 watts per square meter were found off the southeast coast of the US from Florida to North Carolina and along the eastern and southeastern coasts of Africa (Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Madagascar). Lower power densities were seen in the eastern Pacific (Japan, Vietnam and Philippines), northern South America (Brazil and French Guiana), and the eastern coast of Australia. The work is published in the journal Renewable Energy.