Scientists from University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute are exploring the possibility of harnessing the energy from Gulf Stream to produce power.
The scientists are collecting data off Cape Hatteras using several methods, PilotOnline reports.
The methods used include current measuring using land-based radar system, acoustic Doppler current profiler deployed approximately 230 m below the water surface, and another Doppler current profiler attached to a boom that records the currents 100 m deep from a boat.
“We know there is a vast resource out there. The key is to find the sweet spot,” Mike Muglia , a marine scientist from the University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute said for PilotOnline. “There is enough energy in the flow to power all of North Carolina and more.”
The Gulf Stream flows up the East Coast from the tip of Florida, as winds force ocean currents to flow northward. The currents flow approximately 96 km wide and almost 1 km deep at some places, PilotOnline reports.
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