Scientists say the energy within the Gulf Stream’s currents could propel Florida out of its potential energy crisis, powering three to seven homes — or supplying the state with one-third of its electricity. Click here to learn more.

The idea of harnessing the ocean’s power for energy has become increasingly popular. To date, a number of organizations are working on technologies related to marine renewable energy.

Such companies include:

• AquaEnergy Group
• Marine Current Turbines (MCT)
• Ocean Power Technologies
• Sperboy™ 

Read the details (and witty commentary here) http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/sixteen-ancient-technologies-reborn-5485/

With all the progress solar panels and wind turbines have made to date, tidal-generated energy sources, arguably the world’s most dependable, predictable and largest untapped renewable energy source, have appeared to take a back seat. With the $500 million in financing that Blue Energy Canada Inc received from New Zealand’s World Energy Research, Blue Energy Canada will be able to commercialize turbines capable of capturing energy from ocean currents.

“The Blue Energy ocean turbine acts as a highly efficient underwater vertical-axis windmill and has several remarkable advantages conferred upon it arising from the following basic science: Sea water is 832 times more dense than air, and it is a non-compressible medium, therefore an 8-knot tidal current provides the equivalent force of a 390 km/hr wind (approximately).”

For more information go to:
http://cleantech.com/news/4671/blue-energy-rolls-500m-tidal-power
or http://www.bluenergy.com/index.html

Here are the Top 10 green power buyers listed by company, number of kilowatt hours bought, percent of energy needs met by green power, and kind of clean power used.

1. Intel Corporation 1,301,200,000 – 46% – Wind
2. PepsiCo 1,144,773,154 – 100% – Various
3. Kohl’s Department Stores 600,990,000 – 50% – Biogas, Biomass, Small-hydro, Solar, Wind
4. Dell Inc. 553,708,000 – 158% – Biogas, Solar, Wind
5. Whole Foods Market 526,995,000 – 100% – Solar, Wind
6. The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. 470,216,838 – 100% – Various
7. Johnson & Johnson 434,854,733 – 38% – Biomass, Small-hydro, Solar, Wind
8. U.S. Air Force 426,233,001 – 5% – Biogas, Biomass, Solar, Wind
9. Cisco Systems, Inc. 400,996,000 – 46% – Wind
10. City of Houston, TX 350,400,000 – 27% Govt. (Local, Municipal) Reliant Energy Wind

For more information see:  http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/purchase-green-power-top-50-buyers.php

Complete list: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top50.htm

The generator in the wave power facility in Lysekil (Sweden) is very special. It is a so-called linear generator that generates electricity apace with the slow movements of the waves. An ordinary generator transforms rotation energy to electricity, and it needs to turn at about 1500 rpm to be efficient. It is then necessary somehow to convert the slow wave movement to a rapid rotating movement.

“This means that a wave energy station with an ordinary generator needs energy transmission systems such as gearboxes or hydraulic systems and other complicated details that wear out and require much more maintenance than a linear generator,” says Rafael Waters. “Our generator has functioned without any trouble every time we started it up over the years, even though it has received no maintenance and has sometimes stood still for months.”

Next year the wave power facility in Lysekil will be complemented by two more plants and connected to one of the world’s first wave energy parks, which will be capable of supplying household electricity to about 60 homes. In a few years’ time, the park will include some ten plants. In the long term, wave energy should be able to supply Sweden with about 10TWh of electricity per year, comparable to 12 nuclear power plants.

If the construction and maintenance costs are low enough, maybe we’ll be saying “so long” to nukes.  For more, go to:  http://www.swellgen.com/drupal62/?q=node/84