Wind + water = untapped energy: An abundance of power exists above Earth's oceans, study finds

  (PhysOrg.com) -- Wind energy over the planet's oceans is a vastly underutilized renewable resource, according to UC Irvine researchers.

At 80 meters above the ocean - the typical wind turbine height - more than 50 percent more power is available than at 10 meters, the height important to the shipping industry upon which previous wind estimates were made.

Though Europe has led the development of offshore wind farms, conditions make U.S. coastal oceans prime for strong winds: The air is stable, and the water is cold, notes Charlie Zender, study co-author and Earth system science associate professor.

"In the midlatitudes, you find these stable environments where air really takes off and accelerates rapidly as you move away from the ocean's surface," he says. "There's a lot of power in the wind. The more we compare it to other energy sources, the more I'm impressed." …

Wind + water = untapped energy: An abundance of power exists above Earth's oceans, study finds

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