Ocean Renewable Energy Group (OREG)

OREG

The Ocean Renewable Energy Group (OREG) aligns industry, academia and government to ensure that Canada is a leader in providing ocean energy solutions to a world market.

OREG is a national organization, with over 115 Canadian and international members.


Ocean Energy

Ocean Energy in Canada information pamphlet

The term “ocean energy” is used to describe the harnessing of power found in ocean waves, tidal flows, and salinity and temperature gradients.

• Wave energy can be considered a concentrated form of solar energy.
• The sun's radiation heats the surface of the ocean creating wind, which in turn creates waves.
• Regions considered to have “good” wave energy resources are generally those found within 40 to 60 degrees of latitude, where the strongest winds are found.
• The largest waves are formed in regions where the wind blows over the water the furthest, the longest "fetch", often the west coasts of continents.

• Modern tidal technology developments are focusing on the harnessing of tidal "streams" or "currents". These are found in regions with high tidal ranges and natural constrictions such as straights, narrows or fjords. This movement of water is also enhanced by the differential heating of the ocean water column which creates deep water currents.
• There are numerous methods of harnessing wave and tidal energy that are currently under various stages of R&D and demonstration. For more information on any of these technologies please see our library.

Excellent resources on ocean energy are available at:

British Wind Energy Association Marine Renewable Energy
MMS Ocean Energy Kids Brochure
World Energy Council Survey of Energy Resources
California Energy Commission
The Carbon Trust - Technical Overview of Wave and Tidal Stream Energy
Wave Energy Centre Ocean Energy Glossary

Source Ocean Renewable Energy Group