In reply to Horace Heffner's message of Tue, 4 Aug 2009 18:06:01 -0800: Hi, [snip] >If we invest >billions in offshore turbines and the flow disappears or moves away >from the coast, we will be hard pressed to replace the renewable >energy source fast enough.
This reminds of something else. Isn't there a spot where the cold return current passes under the warm outgoing current in the opposite direction? If so, then a floating platform could make use of the differential speed which would probably be about twice the speed of either current individually. Since the power harnessed goes as the cube of the velocity (ideally), this would increase the power output 8 fold. The harvested energy could be converted into chemical energy onboard, for transfer to bulk carriers. A floating platform has the advantage that it can follow any movement of the currents. Of course, if the current did cease altogether, then you are indeed out of business. However the heat in a warming world has to go somewhere, and the poles are still the coldest spots (generally), so I suspect that some form of circulation would still exist. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/Project.html
