Tapping the Gulf Stream for Energy

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) believe they can tap into a clean, natural energy source that could meet much of the state's future power needs: the rushing, undersea waters of the Gulf Stream.

Scientists and engineers at FAU's Center of Excellence in Ocean Energy Technology are currently developing a prototype system of turbines that will be planted on the ocean floor in the Florida Straits, about 150 feet underwater. That puts the turbines directly in the path of the Gulf Stream, a powerful undersea current that flows north past Florida and up the East Coast of North America.

Flowing at a rate of more than eight billion gallons a minute, that steady current carries more than 30 times as much water as all the world's rivers put together. If even part of the Gulf Stream's energy could be tapped, it could eventually generate between four and eight gigawatts of electricity ... enough to power 2.5 million to 5 million homes.

Furthermore, the fact that the deep waters of the Gulf Stream are icy-cold could make the current a reliable cooling source for air-conditioning, a must for most of the year in the Sunshine State.

In a presentation to Gov. Charlie Crist last fall, FAU researchers said that ocean energy is not only ideal for Florida, but also one of the state's "most promising sustainable and renewable solutions." They predict that ocean-based power could become available in commercially meaningful amounts within 10 years, and that it could provide a significant portion of the state's energy needs within 20 years.

Tapping such an energy source could not only help Florida reduce its dependence on out-of-state and foreign imports, but could help it curb its carbon dioxide emissions and lessen its impact on climate change, FAU researchers say. They add that Gulf Stream power could also provide the energy needed to run desalination plants that could convert seawater into drinking water, another plus considering the state's ever-tightening supplies of fresh water.