Ocean energy systems

See also Acid Rain Air Pollution Atmosphere Environmental Problems and Energy Use Ocean Energy Systems Pollution and Energy Efficiency. 

Cavanagh, J. E. Clarke,]. H. and Price, R. (1993). Ocean Energy Systems. In Renewable Energy ed. L. Burnham. Washington, DC Island Press. 

Ocean Energy Systems - Energy conversion technologies that harness the energy in tides, waves, and thermal gradients in the oceans. 

Development of other non-fossil fuel energy sources, such as geothermal, solar, wind and ocean thermal systems will undoubtedly broaden the scope of application for electrolytic hydrogen — perhaps not because they represent a source of low cost electrical power, but because it represents the most attractive means for providing a transportable fuel from these renewable resources. 

A favored habitat for the emergence of life on Earth is in an oceanic hydrothermal system. This is consistent with the thermophilic character of the most ancient members of the tree of life. Such systems were abundant in the Archaean and would have provided the energy, nutrients and catalysts needed for complex organic synthesis, and hence for life. They may even have provided a mineralogical mechanism for the formation of the first living cells. 

OTEC power plants can be sited arywhere in the equatorial regions aroimd the world extending from roughly 10° north latitude to 10° south where warm water at the surface and cold water at depth are always available in the ocean. OTEC systems can be installed on ships or barges (plantships) that will cruise slowly on the tropical oceans. This will enable OTEC plantships to produce power and fuels anywhere on the tropical oceans, and provides a way for OTEC to make a vast potential contribution to world energy needs. OTEC plants canalso be installed on land or on the continental shelf at tropical sites where warm and deep cold water are available near shore. This option can add a renewable energy source to mary tropical islands and other suitable tropical sites. 

FIGURE 5 Types of flexible joints studied for OTEC CWP support. [From TRW (1979). Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Cold Water Pipe Preliminary Design Final Report. TRW Energy Systems Group.]... 

As discussed in Chapter 3, land-based wind farms and wind farms within state territorial waters fall under the regulatory authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or OSHA-approved state programs. OSHA regulations and standards address many of the tasks and hazards associated with wind farm development, and industry can draw on them in developing the safety management system (SMS) required by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management... 

The oil and gas industry has operated on the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS) for decades, but the U.S. offehore wind industry is only now becoming established. At the time of this writing, offshore wind projects have received preliminary approvals from relevant federal agencies, but construction has not yet started. As mentioned in Chapter 3, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued basic requirements for a safety management system (SMS) in Subpart H of 30 CFR 585 in 2009 but has not fully defined the substance to be included in an SMS. Chapter 4 identified many hazards shared by land-based and offshore wind farms and relevant federal regulations and industry standards that may apply, and it discussed several hazards unique to offshore wind farms. 

BOEMRE (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement), 2010. 30 CFR Part 250. Oil and Gas and Sulphur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf Safety and Environmental Management Systems. 

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