Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas

Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas

Why in news?

INCOIS unveiled an‘Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas’for India’s EEZ, highlighting vast marine energy potential from solar, wind, waves, tides, currents, and thermal resources.

About the INCOIS

• It was established as anautonomous bodyin 1999 under theMinistry of Earth Sciences(MoES) and is a unit of theEarth System Science Organization(ESSO).
• Mandate: To provide the best possibleocean information and advisory servicesto society, industry, government agencies, and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvements through systematic and focussed research.
• Activities:
• It providesround-the-clock monitoring and warning servicesfor the coastal population on tsunamis, storm surges, high waves, etc. through the in-house Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC).
• It provides daily advisories to fisher folk to help them easilylocate areasofabundant fishin the ocean.
• Short-term (3-7 days)Ocean State Forecasts(waves, currents, sea surface temperature, etc.) are issued daily to fisher folk, the shipping industry, the oil and natural gas industry, the Navy, the Coast Guard, etc.

Key Features of the Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas

The Atlas encompassesmarine meteorological energy sourceslike solar and wind, and hydrological energy forms such as waves, tides, currents, ocean thermal, and salinity gradients within India’s EEZ.

It identifies areas with high potential forenergy generationand will serve as a reference for policymakers, industry and researchers for harnessing these rich energy resources.

INCOIS prepared theannual, monthly,anddailyenergy estimates ofocean energycomponents that can be visualised through a WebGIS interface at 5 km grid resolution.

Significant potential of the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

INCOIShas estimated integrated ocean energy of approximately9.2 lakh TWh per annumwithin the EEZ of India.

The vast coastline of over 7,000 km and the EEZ covering up to 220 km from the coast offers ample scope for generating energy fromblue renewable sourceslike tidal waves, currents, solar and wind.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ):

The concept of EEZ was adopted through the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It is an area of the ocean extending up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) immediately offshore from a country’s land coast in which that country retains exclusive rights to the exploration and exploitation of natural resources.

Way forward:

The Atlas provides a blueprint for India to tap into itsvast untapped ocean energy resourcesto meet its growing energy demands in a sustainable manner.

It offers estimatedvalues of renewable energythat can be generated from individual or integratedblue renewable sourcesat potential sites along the coast

The detailed mapping of energy potential at agranular 5 km grid levelcan help industries plan and make informed decisions for developing offshore renewable energy projects.

Collaborating with industrial partners and public sector companies toharness energy at high-potential zonesidentified in the Atlas can accelerate the adoption of marine energy technologies.

The Atlas can serve as a model for other countries in theIndian Ocean regionto assess their blue energy reserves and promote regional cooperation in harnessing ocean energy resources.