Scientists say there's energy potential in: 

 — waves — ocean thermal 



— tides — plants 



— salinity gradients — winds 



—currents 



Plenty Of Ideas . . . 



(Continued from page 1 ) 



Some observers frankly put some of the ideas in 

 a category with some of Jules Verne's more fantas- 

 tic notions. But others say the ocean is the new 

 frontier. And, after all, if someone had said 20 

 years ago that man would set foot on the moon, he 

 might have found himself locked up. 



In England, ocean-energy research has centered 

 on waves. Professor S. H. Salter, of the University 

 of Edinburgh School of Engineering, says the area 

 from Iceland to Land's End in England has "splen- 

 did waves." He says of waves in general "I'm sure 

 there's more power than the world needs." Salter 

 hopes to have the first experimental unit of his 

 "nodding duck wave energy extractors" launched 

 in two years. He envisions 50 or more of these 500 

 by 10 meter units (that's about a quarter of a mile 

 long) eventually floating three or four miles off 

 England. 



France already has a tidal energy plant in opera- 

 tion and is building another one. 



Here at home, a number of possibilities are being 

 considered — some more enthusiastically than 

 others — for tapping the ocean's stock of solar 

 energy. Waves and tides have received some atten- 

 tion, as have currents. Salinity gradients, which 

 would take advantage of the pressure produced 

 where fresh water meets salt water, are also a 

 possibility. 



Some federally-funded research on waves and 

 the potentially useful, yet environmentally ques- 

 tionable, salinity gradients is going on. But for the 

 most part, the government's ocean-energy research 

 has so far centered on: 



— ocean thermal energy conversion, that is, the 

 conversion into electricity of the substantial quan- 

 tities of heat that are naturally collected and 

 stored by the oceans; 



— the conversion of ocean-grown plants, such as 

 kelp, into more usable forms of energy; 



— and wind power. 



All three major areas are expected to contribute 

 to energy needs by 1985. Every theory — including 

 waves and such — has its followers. But at the con- 

 ference, ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) 

 received the lion's share of attention. 



Robert Cohen, ERDA's chief of research for 

 ocean thermal energy conversion, explained at the 

 conference that he expects solar energy will be 

 getting increased support as waste problems arise 

 with the already-advanced nuclear energy. Con- 

 sequently, OTEC — as part of the solar energy pro- 

 gram — has begun to get more money and more 

 attention. And Cohen has already initiated a more 

 coordinated effort to begin to tap the sun's energy 

 with OTECs. 



