Renewable Energy From Ocean Currents

Durban of South Africa is considering teaming up Hydro Alternative Energy Inc., in an effort to generate electricity from sea-currents. Hydro Alternative is interested in the development of a 1-megawatt demonstration unit to generate power from the Agulhas Current. The Agulhas current is the western boundary current of the South Indian Ocean. Flowing down the east coast of Africa, the source water at its northern end is derived from Mozambique channel eddies and the East Madagascar Current. It’s greatest source of water is recirculation in the southwest Indian Ocean sub-gyre. The Agulhas Current is fast as with other western boundary currents. According to the company all previous wave generation technologies have been tidal based and this would be the first time current based technology has been used to generate power. Since South Africa is pushing the use of renewable energy to reduce the country’s reliance on coal, the government has issued tenders for the construction of renewable energy plants with a capacity of 3,725 megawatts by the end of 2016. The prototype system, called Oceanus, would use floating generators equivalent of a five-story building in height, tethered to the seabed up to 330 feet below the surface so as not to interfere with shipping to generate electricity. The environmental impact assessment study will attempt to determine the projects possible impact on local sea life, which includes dolphins and migrating whales. 
If the Durban facility is green lighted, it would be the first such facility in the world and, if successful, could become a prototype for the installation of such systems worldwide. If the EIA study determines that the Oceanus unit is indeed environmentally benign, then Hydro Alternative Energy Inc. seemingly will have solved one of the biggest problems retarding the growth of renewable energy – the lack of a reliable 24/7 natural phenomenon to use as a power source.