The waves in the ocean could supply about 10 percent of Australia's electricity by 2050, a new study released Wednesday by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) found.
The national science agency's study found that Australia's ocean energy resources could power a city the size of Melbourne by 2050.
Ian Cresswell, director CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship, said CSIRO wanted to understand the potential of the clean and sustainable energy source.
"Assessing the opportunities and challenges from resource to the market is a first for ocean renewable energy in Australia," he said in a media release.
The report of CSIRO found that although wave energy could possibly provide 10 percent of Australia's electricity needs by 2050, there were many economic, technological, environmental and societal challenges that would determine its place in Australia's future energy mix.
The report also found the areas that could benefit from wave energy technology include Perth, the southern coastline and to a lesser extent the east coast of Australia, while tidal technology could supply niche areas such as northeast Tasmania and the Kimberley region in Western Australia.
