Section 5 Direct Power from the Sea 



FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 



Tidal power and power from thermal differ- 

 ences in the ocean are potential sources of power 

 but present technology does not permit their use 

 under favorable cost/benefit ratios. However, as 

 energy requirements increase. National and local 

 needs become more varied, and conventional 

 sources become depleted, it is only prudent that 

 these potential alternative sources of power be 

 evaluated so that they can be developed expedi- 

 tiously when the economic need arises. 



Recommendation: 



The Government should continue to consider and 

 evaluate tidal power and power from thermal 

 differences as possible alternative sources in plan- 

 ning ways to meet new power needs in some 

 coastal areas. 



I. PRESENT REQUIREMENTS 



The Interdepartmental Energy Study, comple- 

 ted in 1964, shows that commercial per capita 

 energy consumption in the United States as of 

 1961 was 180 million British Thermal Units, and 

 total U.S. energy consumption in 1960 was 44,983 

 trillion BTU. The source pattern of total energy 

 consumption in 1960 is given as follows: 



The Energy Study points out that the contem- 

 porary pattern is markedly different from that of a 

 few decades ago when bituminous coal supplied 

 two-thirds of all energy. A valid assumption is that 

 the source pattern two or three decades hence will 

 be markedly different from the present with 



nuclear power commanding a much stronger posi- 

 tion. 



Projections of U.S. requirements of energy 

 consumption per capita, based on population, 

 range from 300 to 337 million BTU for the year 

 1980, and from 350 to 438 million BTU for the 

 year 2000. Total energy consumption projections 

 range from 67.2 to 90.0 quadrillion BTU for 1980, 

 and from 101 to 180 quadrUlion BTU for 2000.' 

 Conventional sources for this demand are those 

 shown in the preceding table. 



Potential sources of marine power include: 



-Tides 



—Thermal differences 



—Ocean currents 



—Waves 



-Geo thermal energy. 



A. Tidal Power 



The total tidal power dissipated by the earth is 

 estimated at 1.4 billion kilowatts, of which 1.1 

 billion kw is accounted for by oceanic tidal 

 friction in bays and estuaries around the world and 

 can be captured and converted to electric power. ^ 

 In spite of the huge potential, this energy source is 

 scarcely utilized because practical development is 

 very difficult. However, various possibilities have 

 been and are being studied in geographic areas 

 where the tidal behavior, range, and water dis- 

 placement are most favorable. 



The first large-scale development of tidal power 

 is the Ranee project in France where an invest- 

 ment of $100 million has been made. The Ranee 

 project features a single pool reservoir covering 8 

 square miles and a mean tidal range of about 26 

 feet. Power will be generated at an installed 

 capacity of 320 megawatts and will provide 890 

 million kilowatt hours annually. Other projects 



' I'^ncrgy Study Group, Energy Research and Develop- 

 ment and National Progress, prepared for the Interdepart- 

 mental ICncrgy Study under the direction of AH H. 

 Cambcl (1964), p. 333. 



'^Ihid. 



VII-233 



333-092 0-69— 16 



