The United States and other countries are pursuing ocean current energy, including Japan, China, and some European Union countries; however, marine current energy is at an early stage of development. There are no commercial grid-connected turbines currently operating; to date, only a small number of prototypes and demonstration units have been tested.

Some of these technologies have been developed for use with tidal currents in near-shore environments; these near-shore tidal current energy technologies are not analyzed in the OCS Alternative Energy Programmatic EIS.

In South Florida, researchers are already working to harness the power of one of the ocean’s most energy-dense currents — the Gulf Stream:

Harnessing the Power of the Gulf Stream: Alternative Energy Ocean Power

GOOGLE WATTS FROM OCEAN CURRENT

The system has no slicing turbine blades and thus it has no impact to aquatic life. A single device, consisting of just 5 basic components, can be scaled so large that it can power an entire city!

1. Ocean Water Currents As Energy Source

   Currents can be powerful enough to tip canoes, damage docks and even topple bridges. The force of all that moving...

2. Ocean Energy: Alstom Broadens Its Involvement In Marine Energy By Acquiring A 40% Equity Share In Aws Ocean Energy

   Alstom has taken a 40% equity share in Scottish renewable energy company AWS Ocean Energy, representing Alstom’s entry to the...

3. Ocean Energy: Tidal vs. Wave

   Ocean Tidal Energy The generation of electrical power from ocean tides is very similar to traditional hydroelectric generation. A tidal...

4. Alstom’s Ocean Energy business established at Nantes

   Tidal turbine BELUGA 9, with a capacity of 1 MW and designed in Alstom Hydro’s new Nantes offices, to be...