Producing enough energy to meet our needs has become a serious problem.
生产足够的能源以满足我们的需求已经变成了一个非常严重的问题。
Demand is rising rapidly, because of the world's increasing population and expanding industry.
需求量正在激增，因为整个世界人口急剧增长，工业规模不断扩大。
Burning fossil fuels, like gas, coal and oil, seriously damages the environment and they'll eventually run out.
燃烧化石燃料，比如说天然气、煤炭以及石油对环境造成了极其恶劣的损害，它们最终也会消耗殆尽。
For a number of years now, scientists have been working out how we can derive energy from renewable sources,
科学家已经花费数年在研究我们该如何从可再生资源中提取能源，
such as the sun and wind, without causing pollution.
比如说太阳、风力资源，它们不会造成污染。
Today I'll outline marine renewable energy -- also called ocean energy -- which harnesses the movement of the oceans.
今天我会简要地说一下海洋可再生资源--它也被称作海洋资源--它利用的是海洋的运动。
Marine renewable energy can be divided into three main categories:
海洋可再生能源可以被分为三个主要的种类：
wave energy, tidal energy and ocean thermal energy conversion, and I'll say a few words about each one.
波浪能、潮汐能源以及海洋热转换能源，我会就每一种简略说几句。
First, wave energy. Numerous devices have been invented to harvest wave energy,
首先是波浪能。已经有很多投资去开发能够利用波浪能的仪器，
with names such as Wave Dragon, the Penguin and Mighty Whale,
比如说浪龙、企鹅以及巨头鲸，
and research is going on to try and come up with a really efficient method.
研究还在继续，尝试找出一种这种效率很高的方式。
This form of energy has plenty of potential, as the source is constant, and there's no danger of waves coming to a standstill.
这种能源潜力很大，因为这种资源一直都有，波浪停滞也没有任何的危害。
Electricity can be generated using onshore systems, using a reservoir, or offshore systems.
陆上系统、储备库或者是海上系统都可以产生电力。
But the problem with ocean waves is that they're erratic, with the wind making them travel in every direction.
但是波浪能的问题就是它不够稳定，风会吹得它们往各个方向移动。
This adds to the difficulty of creating efficient technology:
这会增加开发高效能技术的困难性：
ideally all the waves would travel smoothly and regularly along the same straight line.
理想状态下所有的波浪应该可以沿着相同的直线平缓地、有规律性地移动。
Another drawback is that sand and other sediment on the ocean floor might be stopped from flowing normally,
另外一个缺点是可能会导致海岸上的沙子和其他的沉积物不能正常地流动，
which can lead to environmental problems.
这可能会导致环境问题。