What is Ocean Energy? Explain Ocean Energy

Ocean Energy

Ocean energy has been edged out of business by wind and solar for long. But it is making a comeback. Now, at least half-a-dozen commercial scale plants are being built the world over to produce ocean energy. Clearly, ocean energy is beginning to turn viable. Importantly, unlike wind and solar, ocean energy is available 24x7. 

India, with a 7,500-km coastline, has a huge potential to tap into. but ocean energy is not even a footnote in any clean tech discourse. 

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The first steps

In the early 19805. two engineers from IIT-Madras developed a design and set up an experimental project at Vizhinjam, Kerala. According to CRISIL the project failed and was formally decommissioned in 2011 . The other projects that were dropped include Gujarat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. held project and the Durgadvani project in the Sundarbans, West Bengal. However, globally technology has evolved. Today, there are at least 50 different designs.

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Broad Categories of Ocean Energy 

Basically, ocean energy technologies  fall into four broad categories — those for Wave energy, Tides, Underwater currents and Ocean thermal. 

• Wave energy technologies typically have buoys that bob up and down with the waves or ocean swells. and the movement is converted into electricity. Some designs let the waves crash into a closed chamber. The air pushed out of the other end of the chamber drives the turbines. 

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Technologies for tapping tides typically create a lagoon. across me mouth of which they build a barrage holdmg a series of turbines. When the tide rises, the waters rush in through the barrage, timing the turbines on the way. When the tide ebbs, the waters flow in the reverse direction. back into the sea, and again turn the turbines. 

• Tidal current projects have an array of turbines sitting on the sea bed. The deep water currents turn the turbines. Atlantis Megen Project is based on this technology.

• Ocean thermal technologies make use of the temperature difference between the surface and deep water, but are somewhat behind the other three. Here again, India started early in 2000, the Government of India and IIT-Madras attempted to put up a 1 MW plant near Tuticorin, but it failed. 

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In January 2016, India joined International Energy Agency–Ocean Energy Systems, by virtue of which India will partner in developing test protocols with other countries and participate in joint ngrammes. 

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PRATHAM SHARMA.