Oceans and new renewable energy systems

Major relationships between energy systems and oceans are due to marine transportation of energy resources, emissions from use of these resources, and mining and exploration, in particular of natural gas and crude oil. These relationships are poised to change. A multitude of problems have emerged in the fossil fuel energy sector, e.g., “peak oil” and even “peak coal”, wildly fluctuating prices of energy from fossil fuels, and massive emissions causing environmental problems such as ocean acidification. Hence, globally, significant efforts are directed at the creation of new energy systems based on renewable energy. Such systems, if constructed on a large scale, would change many parameters of ocean affairs. Large-scale construction is expected given significant investments in renewable energy systems in different parts of the globe and the prospect that such systems may become competitive in many regions in 2014. We discuss parameters of such renewable energy systems and elaborate effects on transportation of resources and on the wider environment including oceans, and draw conclusions on possible changes for oceans.