Waves of potential in ocean energy

The ocean energy industry plans to supply 10pc of Europe’s energy needs by 2050. Nahla Davies helps us navigate this surging sector.

Ocean energy – specifically tidal and wave energy – is often overlooked when compared to other renewable sources such as wind and solar. But with more research and greater investment from Big Tech, the potential of this abundant resource is almost limitless.

Ocean energy could revolutionise many industries, including controversial and extremely energy-intensive data centres. These powerhouses account for 1-2pc of global energy demand and experts are constantly searching for solutions to reduce their environmental impact. Meanwhile, the demand for energy in the tech industry shows no signs of slowing down, with the rise of AI and machine learning, resulting in an increase in demand for data centres globally. This need for more power becomes even more apparent when you consider that the AI market is expected to grow 20 fold from 2023 to 2030.

Ocean energy is one sustainable solution that can help to transform the current energy landscape. By integrating it into renewable energy grids to power coastal data centres, ocean energy can help tackle the current energy dilemma in the tech industry. However, there are many challenges in this emerging field.

Surging potential

In Europe, the ocean energy industry aims to meet 10pc of the continent’s energy demands by 2050, while creating around half a million jobs. In the US, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) predicts that marine renewable energy could provide up to 57pc of the country’s electricity needs. And the World Energy Council estimates that wave energy in Africa has the potential to achieve an output of 3,500 TWh per year. To put this in perspective, global electricity consumption was 22,848 TWh in 2019.

Several ocean-powered prototypes are currently in operation around the world, while global players such as Meta and Google are also exploring the possibilities of ocean energy.

US start-up Subsea Cloud already has underwater data centres (pods) in the States, located in the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and has two further facilities planned in the North Sea (the UK and Norway). Subsea claims that each ‘pod’ saves between 350-950 tonnes of CO2 thanks to the natural and free cooling provided by the ocean. Accessing pre-existing communications infrastructure, the environmental impact of these data centres is lower than those based on land.

Chinese IT provider, Highlander Digital Technology is also making major moves in the world of ocean power and is constructing the world’s first underwater super computing centre near Hainan island. This facility will power an advanced supercomputing cluster to support large-scale AI training. The facility’s cooling needs will be provided by the sea and will be powered by renewable energy, including ocean energy, to minimise its carbon footprint.

Current challenges

The renewable energy sector will always have its challenges, and ocean energy is no different. Accurately forecasting and managing demand and supply consistently is the key challenge, with waves and tides notoriously difficult to predict. For this, advanced forecasting models will be required, with AI and machine learning algorithms expected to play a crucial role.

The ecological impact of floating and underwater energy facilities must also be assessed, ensuring any impact on marine life is minimal, while also ensuring infrastructure does not affect coastal human populations.

The economics of designing, planning and building ocean energy infrastructure has been an obstacle, with large-scale projects resulting in high initial costs and market uncertainties limiting the number of willing investors. This is why the support of Big Tech will be required to take the sector to the next level, showcasing the potential of the technology in terms of environmental benefits and cost-effectiveness.

The good news is that sectors such as wind and solar energy faced similar challenges that have been successfully navigated. This is why many experts are predicting ocean energy will become a key player and make a significant contribution to the global energy supply.

Whetting your appetite for more

Despite the challenges, the potential of ocean energy is huge, and even though many projects are still early in development, the potential rewards of the technology are beginning to interest major organisations across the world.

As research and innovations in the ocean energy sector increase, and governments lend their support via renewable energy incentives and policy changes, the market is predicted to increase exponentially and become a key component of the global surge in green energy.

By Nahla Davies

Nahla Davies is a software developer and tech writer. Before devoting her work full time to technical writing, she managed – among other intriguing things – to serve as a lead programmer at an Inc. 5,000 experiential branding organisation, where clients include Samsung, Time Warner, Netflix and Sony.

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