Surfs Up

Of the many potential alternative resources to fossil fuels, one possibility is typically not talked about. Turning ocean energy into electrical energy. What may seem far fetched to some is also viewed by many scientists as the nations most untapped renewable resource. Could we be overlooking a crucial component to a mass that takes up nearly 76% of the earths surface?

Many companies are now starting to think so. The Wall Street Journal recently published an article exploring the possibility of such a thing and the research companies like Chevron are well away in exploring. There are many theoretical ways to tap such a resources though there are only a couple being implemented already, in our world today. One small firm, Ocean Power, has produced a buoy based system driven by vertical movement and pressure sensitive pistons. The buoy in simpler terms takes the vertical movement of the waves and through pistons within the buoy is able to convert that movement in to electrical energy. Another attempt to tap our our oceans energy is being done by Verdant Power. Verdant Power is exploring the possibility of tapping into the possibility of our earths tides as a source of power. In New York's East River, Verdant Power has positioned in-water turbines that take the movement of the tides in and out and convert it to energy (much like a turbine system found at a dam).

While it is very exciting to see companies of all shapes and sizes attempt to explore potential resources, one thing is still unclear. How will something like this ever be done at a magnitude that will a large effect. And how will that large effect not also inversely have a large impact on the billions of life forms co-existing within the very resource. It seems very clear to me that our research can not be complete without researching that entire realm of impaction.

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