Potential of Marine Resources for Generation of Clean and Green Energy: A Path Towards Sustainable Future

With the rising challenges associated with climate change and global warming, various countries of the world are witnessing a rapid transition from conventional energy sources to cleaner and environmentally friendly energy. In this regard, various sources of green energy are being explored by researchers across the globe due to their renewability and sustainability. More recently, scientists are considering the marine environment as a potential medium that can provide vast resources that can be utilized in the generation of sustainable and green energy that would mitigate or reduce significantly the current challenges of climate change and global warming. Ocean has been identified as one of the largest sources of renewable energy; this marine energy generation occurs through the harnessing of the chemical and physical state of the ocean. Various resources from the marine environment have been considered promising in this regard, some of which include undercurrent and surface currents, tides, wave movement, variation in water temperature and the salinity of water. This chapter presents the application of marine resources for the generation of green energy. It gives a general overview of marine resources and their sources. It further discusses the principles involved in the generation of energy from marine resources. The merits and limitations of marine energy sources are also highlighted. Finally, a future perspective in this regard is also provided.