If you have been to the ocean, you may have witnessed the overpowering energy in waves. Wave motion is usually caused by the wind and affects the water from the surface all the way to the bottom. When waves reach the shore, they “break” or tumble over, only to return to sea in an undertow or rip current.

A less predictable wave is the tsunami. They are caused by undersea earthquakes, the greatest of modern time occurring in the Indian Ocean in late December of 2004.

Tides are also waves, caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun. With all the talk of green energy, why not capture the power in waves? Power is generated in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, by the tide returning to the sea. Instead of a stationary dam with doors that close to contain the water and release it through turbines, the latest technology uses floating platforms operational since last year.

Jane Lubchenco, a marine ecologist says, “It’s time to stop thinking of the ocean as a victim of climate change and start thinking of it as a powerful part of the solution.” Storage is the issue as electricity, like that produced by wind turbines and solar panels, is intermittent.

The City of Kiowa plans to build a solar farm aimed at making them less dependent on the grid. It will take a combination of sources to reduce fossil fuel use and lessen the carbon footprint providing sustainable energy for future generations.