The relevance of blue energy initiatives lies in their ability to harness the vast and untapped energy resources of the world's oceans. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency report, G20 countries collectively account for 81% of total renewable energy and about 100% of Ocean energy. Offshore renewable energy, such as solar, wind, wave, tidal, ocean thermal energy conversion, ocean currents and salinity gradient represent largely untapped potential for renewables.
It can significantly aid in the energy transition and developing a global blue economy. The first step towards harnessing the blue energy potential is to estimate the available reserves of various forms of energy within the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Towards this, INCOIS has developed an Integrated Ocean Energy assessment of the Indian EEZ. These estimates are prepared using various data sets, which include satellite measurements and model-simulated parameters verified using observations. This report can be used as a guidance for industries to identify potential energy pockets before taking detailed field work for project implementation. INCOIS prepared the annual, monthly, and daily energy estimates of ocean energy components following standard methods that can also be visualised through a WebGIS interface at 5 km grid resolution.
Previously there were attempts to independently prepare estimates of different forms of marine energy resources. However, this is the first time INCOIS has prepared a report on Integrated Marine Energy in the country. This effort aims to bring all such estimates of energy under one umbrella to provide a broader picture of available energy resources from the Indian EEZ.
This report can help industries focus on areas in the EEZ where a single form of energy is available predominantly or multiple forms of energy availability can be tapped using hybrid technologies, an upcoming approach in this sector.
The main objective of this report is to provide a broader understanding of marine energy resources from the Indian EEZ. These estimates are prepared using various datasets, which include satellite measurements and model-simulated parameters verified using observations. This report can be used as a guide for industries in identifying potential energy pockets.
The model simulations and satellite data used for the estimates are of different spatial resolutions and interpolated to a uniform 5 km grid in the final product for immediate cross-comparison of different marine renewable energies.
Under a climate change scenario, the present estimates may no longer be valid in the future, and the estimates may require revisions as and when updated field data is benchmarked or when model data becomes available.