Harnessing the waves: Could the world’s future be powered by the sea?
Published: 03:07 PM,Jul 02,2025 | EDITED : 07:07 PM,Jul 02,2025
From the moment French inventor Pierre-Simon Girard filed the first patent to capture wave motion in 1799, engineers have dreamt of lighting homes with the rhythm of the ocean. Throughout the 20th century, that dream surfaced intermittently—Masuda’s navigational wave-powered buoys in wartime Japan, early oscillating water column trials off the coast of France, and a brief research boom during the oil crisis of the 1970s. Yet for decades, ocean energy remained more promising than power.
Today, the tide is turning. Around the world, wave, tidal, and ocean thermal technologies are no longer just experimental concepts -they’re operating in open waters and contributing clean electricity to national grids. The global capacity for ocean energy has passed 500 megawatts, with the majority generated by two tidal range powerhouses: Sihwa Lake in South Korea and La Rance in France. But smaller, more nimble projects are making waves too. In Scotland, the MeyGen tidal array has already delivered more than 50 gigawatt-hours of electricity to the grid. Europe’s cumulative ocean energy output reached 106 gigawatt-hours in 2024 alone, and an additional 165 megawatts is expected to come online by the end of the decade.
The technologies driving this shift are as diverse as the seas themselves. Wave energy devices -like point absorbers and oscillating water columns- harness the rise and fall of waves to generate power, while overtopping reservoirs store wave energy like miniature hydro dams. Tidal stream turbines, submerged rotors placed in fast-moving coastal currents, spin steadily with each ebb and flow. Newer concepts, such as tidal kites that “fly” underwater to capture energy even in slower currents, are unlocking more locations. Meanwhile, ocean thermal energy conversion, or OTEC, is gaining renewed interest. By exploiting the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep water, OTEC can produce continuous, baseload electricity - especially valuable for island nations or coastal industrial zones. Countries like South Korea, India, and the United States have launched demonstration units, with ambitions to scale these systems for co-producing electricity, desalinated water, and even green hydrogen.
This renewed momentum is underpinned by stronger political and financial backing. Governments are directing funds and policies to accelerate marine energy with vast potential. According to the International Energy Agency’s Ocean Energy Systems programme, wave and tidal stream energy could provide up to 300 gigawatts of capacity by 2050 - a scale that would bring marine energy into the mainstream of global electricity systems. That vision is ambitious, especially considering ocean power still accounts for less than one percent of renewables today. But technical advances, cost reductions, and successful pilot projects are steadily pushing it forward.
What sets ocean energy apart is its consistency. Unlike solar and wind, which fluctuate with weather, waves and tides follow predictable cycles governed by the moon and gravity. For coastal nations navigating the energy transition, this reliability could prove invaluable.
With over 3,000 kilometers of coastline and a rich maritime heritage, Oman is well-positioned to become a regional leader in ocean energy. The country’s northeast coast, particularly near Ras Al Hadd and Masirah Island, experiences strong wave activity, while offshore waters exhibit the temperature gradients ideal for ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). These natural advantages, combined with growing interest from institutions like Sultan Qaboos University and national inclusion of offshore renewables in energy planning from 2022, create fertile ground for pilot projects. As Oman advances its green hydrogen and desalination ambitions in coastal hubs like Duqm and Suhar, integrating marine energy could offer a steady, low-emission power source to reduce grid stress and enhance sustainability at source; placing the Sultanate at the frontier of blue energy innovation.
Two centuries after Girard’s first design, the idea of powering the world with waves is no longer just a vision -it’s a growing reality. And as the pressure to decarbonize intensifies, the ocean’s timeless rhythm may offer one of the most dependable solutions for a low-carbon future.
Today, the tide is turning. Around the world, wave, tidal, and ocean thermal technologies are no longer just experimental concepts -they’re operating in open waters and contributing clean electricity to national grids. The global capacity for ocean energy has passed 500 megawatts, with the majority generated by two tidal range powerhouses: Sihwa Lake in South Korea and La Rance in France. But smaller, more nimble projects are making waves too. In Scotland, the MeyGen tidal array has already delivered more than 50 gigawatt-hours of electricity to the grid. Europe’s cumulative ocean energy output reached 106 gigawatt-hours in 2024 alone, and an additional 165 megawatts is expected to come online by the end of the decade.
The technologies driving this shift are as diverse as the seas themselves. Wave energy devices -like point absorbers and oscillating water columns- harness the rise and fall of waves to generate power, while overtopping reservoirs store wave energy like miniature hydro dams. Tidal stream turbines, submerged rotors placed in fast-moving coastal currents, spin steadily with each ebb and flow. Newer concepts, such as tidal kites that “fly” underwater to capture energy even in slower currents, are unlocking more locations. Meanwhile, ocean thermal energy conversion, or OTEC, is gaining renewed interest. By exploiting the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep water, OTEC can produce continuous, baseload electricity - especially valuable for island nations or coastal industrial zones. Countries like South Korea, India, and the United States have launched demonstration units, with ambitions to scale these systems for co-producing electricity, desalinated water, and even green hydrogen.
This renewed momentum is underpinned by stronger political and financial backing. Governments are directing funds and policies to accelerate marine energy with vast potential. According to the International Energy Agency’s Ocean Energy Systems programme, wave and tidal stream energy could provide up to 300 gigawatts of capacity by 2050 - a scale that would bring marine energy into the mainstream of global electricity systems. That vision is ambitious, especially considering ocean power still accounts for less than one percent of renewables today. But technical advances, cost reductions, and successful pilot projects are steadily pushing it forward.
What sets ocean energy apart is its consistency. Unlike solar and wind, which fluctuate with weather, waves and tides follow predictable cycles governed by the moon and gravity. For coastal nations navigating the energy transition, this reliability could prove invaluable.
With over 3,000 kilometers of coastline and a rich maritime heritage, Oman is well-positioned to become a regional leader in ocean energy. The country’s northeast coast, particularly near Ras Al Hadd and Masirah Island, experiences strong wave activity, while offshore waters exhibit the temperature gradients ideal for ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). These natural advantages, combined with growing interest from institutions like Sultan Qaboos University and national inclusion of offshore renewables in energy planning from 2022, create fertile ground for pilot projects. As Oman advances its green hydrogen and desalination ambitions in coastal hubs like Duqm and Suhar, integrating marine energy could offer a steady, low-emission power source to reduce grid stress and enhance sustainability at source; placing the Sultanate at the frontier of blue energy innovation.
Two centuries after Girard’s first design, the idea of powering the world with waves is no longer just a vision -it’s a growing reality. And as the pressure to decarbonize intensifies, the ocean’s timeless rhythm may offer one of the most dependable solutions for a low-carbon future.