By Ojugbele Omotunde
Oceans contain significant energy, which can be captured through complex wind-wave interactions. This energy is concentrated solar energy transferred through global wind currents, influenced by earth’s temperature variation and atmospheric phenomena, affecting wave generation, propagation, and direction.
While Ocean tides are cyclic variations in seawater elevation and flow velocity due to Earth’s motion with the moon and sun and their gravitational forces, these conditions vary significantly over time due to earth rotational tilt, spinning rate, and interaction among forces. They are more noticeable in coastal areas with constrained channels.
Ocean energy resources include potential energy from tides, kinetic energy from waves, thermal energy from temperature gradients, and energy from salinity gradients.
These resources can be harnessed through construction, modular systems, OTEC processes, and pressure-retarded reverse osmosis processes. Thermal energy from the sea surface and deepwater can also be utilized.
Nigeria, with its extensive coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, holds great potential to harness ocean energy as a renewable and sustainable source of power.
By utilizing ocean energy through tidal energy, electricity is generated by capturing the energy produced by the natural rise and fall of tides through the wind.
Barrages or tidal turbines can be used to transform this energy into power and Nigeria can produce a sizable amount of clean electricity by carefully locating tidal energy devices in areas with high tidal currents.
Another method Nigeria can explore is wave energy. This energy source is derived from the kinetic energy of ocean waves. Wave energy converters can be deployed offshore to capture this energy and convert it into electricity.
The potential for wave energy in Nigeria’s coastal waters makes them an attractive site for wave energy project development. Nigeria may lessen its dependency on fossil fuels and diversify its energy mix by investing in wave energy technologies.
Additionally, Nigeria can consider ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) as a means to utilize ocean energy.
OTEC systems leverage the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep water to generate power and by implementing OTEC plants along the coast, Nigeria can tap into this renewable energy source to produce electricity and support sustainable development.
Nigeria would need to make investments in infrastructure, technology, and research & development in order to efficiently harness ocean energy while also working together with foreign partners and organizations that have experience with ocean energy projects may also yield useful information and assistance.
Adopting ocean energy technologies can help Nigeria lessen its carbon footprint, improve energy security and create a cleaner, more sustainable future.