Ocean energy has the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs in the United States and generate as much as 10% of the nation’s demand for electricity, according to a coalition that recently released a roadmap for harnessing the power of the ocean.
That energy amount is equivalent to all hydroelectric energy in the U.S. today.
The coalition was convened earlier this year by Environmental Defense
Fund (EDF) to begin a dialogue on ocean energy among industry leaders
and conservationists. Early participants included Florida Power and
Light (NYSE: FPL), Pacific Gas and Electric (NYSE: PGE), and the Surfrider
Foundation, and the coalition has continued to grow over the last nine
months.
A delegation from the group met on Tuesday of last week
with members of president-elect Barack Obama’s transition team from Department of Energy, Department of
Interior, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to present the groups’
recommendations.
The document presented by the coalition details how to fix the confusing–and sometimes contradictory–array of federal regulations that now govern the industry.
Ocean energy includes a variety of technologies that convert waves, tides, and currents into electrical power. Moving water is at least 700 times as dense as wind blowing at the same speed. There are currently only a handlful of ocean energy projects in U.S. waters. All are in the testing phase.
“This issue brings together key three priorities of the incoming administration: climate change, creating new green jobs and reasserting U.S. leadership on science and technology. Based on both the selection of President-elect Obama’s ‘Green Team’ and the attention we received from the transition teams today, we believe we will see strong action on these issues,” said Jack Sterne of Rising Tide Strategies, the organizer for the group. “We think it’s important to learn from the experience of the wind and solar companies who went overseas when they did not receive adequate leadership from this country.”
To coalition’s recommendations can be read at the link below.
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