A Florida university is exploring the feasibility of harnessing ocean currents to generate clean, renewable energy off the state’s southeast coast.
Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center (SNMREC) has been awarded a grant from the United States Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office to study the commercial readiness of ocean energy technologies.
The study, the first of its kind, will set up an ocean current test facility offshore from Palm Beach County.
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Ocean energy from waves, currents and gradients can be harnessed to generate electricity. For marine energy to be attractive at a utility-scale, it must be abundant, predictable and consistently available–something only open ocean currents like the Florida Current offer in the U.S., according to FAU.
Researchers say this current, constrained by the Bahamian Shelf, flows close to shore and near major population centers, making it a prime candidate for energy generation.
The goal of the project is to create a “blue energy” industry cluster in Southeast Florida. Blue energy refers to producing electricity by combining fresh and saline water.
According to FAU, there are no active ocean current test facilities anywhere in the world, though suitable locations exist. In the U.S., North Carolina is the only other location where the Gulf Stream is close enough to the coast, but that location is not ideal.
“Southeast Florida is ideal for ocean current energy projects not only because of its favorable ocean current conditions but also due to several supportive socio-economic factors,” said Gabriel Alsenas, principal investigator and director of SNMREC at FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. “Major ports, such as the Port of Palm Beach and Port Everglades, straddle SNMREC’s proposed test site offshore Palm Beach County to provide excellent access.”
FAU says the project will assess the feasibility of an offshore test facility that is connected to the grid to ensure this technology can be safely and economically integrated. SNMREC is looking to establish a grid connection as soon as possible.
“Before any marine energy project can succeed, it’s crucial to ensure that all aspects of the project can be integrated safely and economically at full scale, which is only possible with a dedicated offshore test facility connected to the grid,” added Alsenas. “Testing prototypes in real-world conditions helps refine technology, confirm performance, and reduce technical and financial risks before projects can be scaled for widespread use.”
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
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