Question

What are the limitations of the energy that can be obtained from the oceans?

Answer 1

The forms of energy that can be obtained from the ocean are tidal energy, wave energy, and ocean thermal energy. There are several limitations in order to harness these energies.

•  Tidal energy depends on the relative positioning of the Earth, moon, and the Sun.
• High dams are required to be built to convert tidal energy into electricity.
• Very strong waves are required to obtain electricity from wave energy.
• To harness ocean thermal energy efficiently, the difference in the temperature of surface water (hot) and the water at depth (cold) must be 20ºC or more.