Florida Looks to the Ocean for a Solution to its Energy Crisis

Posted on August 9, 2009 in Technology, The Environment

Florida is currently facing a looming energy crisis. The third largest energy consumer in the US, Florida’s population keeps growing and energy production can’t keep up. But scientists say that a vast, clean, and reliable energy source lies just offshore: the Gulf Stream.

Just as wind turbines harness the power of the skies for the electricity grid, so wave turbines can harness the power of the ocean. Water currents turn a propeller that generates electricity which is conveyed to the mainland through underwater cables. Scientists are also investigating ways that the electrical current could be used to make and store hydrogen underwater for use in automobile fuel cells.

Florida’s Gulf Stream contains some of the strongest currents in the world and could potentially generate up to one third of Florida’s power. However there are still many unanswered questions as to the ecological impact of wave turbines, and the cost.

Sue Skemp, executive director at Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Ocean Energy Technology, says “This area is so new, we’re still finding out what needs to be done. It’s not like an established industry, like the aerospace industry or the automotive industry or others, where you have models which you could base cost on.”

The state of Florida has already allocated almost $14 million for research and development. If the studies yield positive results, it will take another 5 to 10 years to build the system and see results.