Ideas to Capture the Ocean’s Energy

Far out at sea, the wind blows over the water's glassy surface, creating tiny ripples and eddies. Those ripples provide a rough surface for the wind to grab and push—and waves are born. The longer a gust of wind catches the water's surface, the bigger the waves become.

According to some estimates, ocean waves around the world could hold up to 10 trillion watts of energy. If humans could harness that energy, we would be able to generate renewable, predictable and pollution-free electricity. But so far, few large-scale wave-energy projects have made it off the diving board—which means that ocean-wave technology is a free-for-all in terms of design. "There are many, many different types of devices," says Paul Jacobson, an ocean-energy leader at the Electric Power Research Institute. "The technology hasn't developed to the point where a lot of the designs have been shaken out yet. And so it remains to be seen which devices will turn out to be the most cost-effective and efficient."

Some of the ideas will be listed out in subsequent postings.