Sites offering bright prospects for tapping into ocean current energy have been identified by Florida Atlantic University researchers. The potential of capturing kinetic energy from ocean currents was assessed using data collected as part of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Drifter Program (GDP).

The GDP includes data from about 1,250 satellite-tracked buoys that measure ocean currents and their positions. The researchers estimated ocean power density and its variation over time and location in an analysis of more than 43 million GDP data points from March 1988 to September 2021.

The study published in the journal Renewable Energy points to high power densities of over 2,000 W/m² off the southeastern U.S. coast from Florida to North Carolina and along the eastern and southeastern coasts of Africa. Lower power densities were identified in the eastern Pacific, including Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, in northern South America and the eastern coast of Australia.

This map of kinetic energy flux shows the global average power density calculated using drifter data in watts per square meter. Source: Florida Atlantic University

About 75% of the total high-power density areas, which cover around 490,000 km² of the ocean, offer energy levels of 500 W/m² to 1,000 W/m².

During warmer months in the northern hemisphere, higher power densities are available in Florida, Japan and Northern Brazil, aligning with increased energy demand during these periods. A similar trend is observed for South Africa, indicating that this energy resource can be exploited in periods of higher electricity demand associated with increased air conditioning usage, making it a potentially reliable source of renewable energy.