How Hydrokinetic Energy Works

The document describes hydrokinetic energy as a clean alternative to fossil fuels and traditional dams, utilizing the kinetic energy of moving water. It details various conversion technologies, including wave energy converters and rotating devices, while assessing the resource potential of US coastal and river systems. The text highlights the predictability of water-based power and the potential to avoid millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2025. However, it identifies significant barriers to commercialization, specifically citing a restrictive regulatory environment and the need for increased federal funding and streamlined permitting processes.

• Hydrokinetic energy resources in the US, including waves, tides, and river currents, have the potential to power more than 67 million homes.
• Projections suggest the US could produce 13,000 MW of hydrokinetic power by 2025, which would prevent the emission of nearly 86 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and be equivalent to removing 15.6 million cars from the road.
• Wave energy is considered to have the highest production potential among hydrokinetic options; capturing just 15% of US coastal wave energy would equal the current electricity production of conventional hydroelectric dams.
• Specific regional potentials include the Gulf Stream, where capturing 0.1% of available energy could provide 35% of Florida's electricity, and the lower Mississippi river, where 36 preliminary permits were granted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as of March 2008.
• Hydrokinetic technologies are categorized into wave energy converters (WECs)—such as oscillating water columns, point absorbers, attenuators, and overtopping devices—and rotating devices that capture flow from tidal streams, ocean currents, or rivers.
• The cost of electricity (CoE) for the first utility-scale wave project in 2010 was estimated as low as 11.1¢/kWh, while commercial-scale tidal projects were modeled at 4.8-10.8¢/kWh.
• A primary barrier to development is the regulatory framework, where the process for licensing a temporary pilot turbine is as difficult as that for permanently damming a major river.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2007). How Hydrokinetic Energy Works. https://www.ucs.org/resources/how-hydrokinetic-energy-works

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. How Hydrokinetic Energy Works. 2007. https://www.ucs.org/resources/how-hydrokinetic-energy-works.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=How Hydrokinetic Energy Works |date=14 July 2007 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/how-hydrokinetic-energy-works |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2007how, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{How Hydrokinetic Energy Works}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2007}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/how-hydrokinetic-energy-works}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }