Engineering and offshore energy production

The Annual Energy Outlook 2008 prepared by Energy Information Administration of the United States Department of Energy projects the continued use of fossil fuels (liquids, coal and natural gas) with little emphasis on ldquoOceanic Energy Conversionrdquo and marginal importance to ldquoOff-shore Wind Energy conversion.rdquo However the potential energy available for conversion to electrical energy along the coastal United States and the Ocean in general is considerable. Von Jouanne estimated that ldquo2 one-thousandths of the oceans´ untapped energy could provide power equal to current worldwide demand.rdquo This paper provides an overview of oceanic energy production technologies highlighting surface wave motion, tidal height variations and subsurface currents, oceanic currents, ocean thermal-gradient energy conversion, and wind generation technologies.