The future of ocean renewable energy

The energy supply sector is the largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. The ocean offers many options for reducing greenhouse gas, particularly through the development of renewable energy technologies. However, although the ocean holds vast amounts of energy, it is drastically underdeveloped. In this chapter, the nature and key aspects of these ocean renewable energy options are introduced, including wave and tidal energy, ocean current energy, and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). Future opportunities in the development of ocean renewable energy are discussed, including innovative materials, novel methods for resource assessments, and co-location of multiple ocean renewable energy technologies.