
629© 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
*11
Ocean Energy Conversion
The offshore ocean area under U.S. jurisdiction is larger than our land mass, and teems
with … energy sources.
—Tom Allen
The oceans contain a great deal of energy, but the conversion of this energy into a useful form
such as electricity requires advanced technology that is still under development. However,
many demonstration prototypes have been designed and built. Valuable information is being
obtained from the operation of these plants, and the results should lead to the development
of large-scale units that are expected to become economically competitive in the future.
The key conv ...