How does otec work

The cold water intake pipeline for the current kW OTEC plant is 40 inches in diameter, bringing water from a depth of about 2, feet. For an offshore 10 MW OTEC plant, the vertical cold water intake pipes would be about 13 feet in diameter, bringing water from a depth of about 3, feet. For an offshore MW OTEC plant, the vertical cold water intake pipes would be about 33 feet in diameter, bringing water from a depth of about 3, feet.

The plant was located on an offshore barge in Hawaii. This is the largest and deepest intake in the world. Makai has designed and oversaw the construction of many other marine pipelines since Is Makai working on a large, offshore facility?

Currently, Makai is aimed at reducing costs and improving the economics of both mid-sized and large-scale offshore OTEC plants. In order to attract investments to build a plant of that size, developers will first need to validate the technology of a megawatt offshore OTEC plant for several years. Is the kilowatt facility designed for commercial power production? Will Makai sell the power produced from this facility?

The bigger the temperature difference, the higher the efficiency. The technology is therefore viable primarily in equatorial areas where the year-round temperature differential is at least 20 degrees Celsius or 36 degrees Fahrenheit.

Utilizing just a small portion of this energy, can cover the global energy need. The energy source of OTEC is free, available abundantly and is continually being replenished as long as the sun shines and the natural ocean currents exist.

The oceans are thus a vast renewable resource, with the potential to contribute to the future energy mix offering a sustainable electricity production method. This is a big advantage for for instance tropical islands that typically has a small electricity network, not capable of handling a lot of intermittent power. Diesel fuel. Heating oil. Also in Oil and petroleum products explained Oil and petroleum products Refining crude oil Where our oil comes from Imports and exports Offshore oil and gas Use of oil Prices and outlook Oil and the environment.

Also in Gasoline explained Gasoline Octane in depth Where our gasoline comes from Use of gasoline Prices and outlook Factors affecting gasoline prices Regional price differences Price fluctuations History of gasoline Gasoline and the environment. Also in Diesel fuel explained Diesel fuel Where our diesel comes from Use of diesel Prices and outlook Factors affecting diesel prices Diesel fuel surcharges Diesel and the environment. Also in Heating oil explained Heating oil Where our heating oil comes from Use of heating oil Prices and outlook Factors affecting heating oil prices.

Hydrocarbon Gas Liquids. Natural gas. Also in Hydrocarbon gas liquids explained Hydrocarbon gas liquids Where do hydrocarbon gas liquids come from? Transporting and storing Uses of hydrocarbon gas liquids Imports and exports Prices.

Also in Natural gas explained Natural gas Delivery and storage Natural gas pipelines Liquefied natural gas Where our natural gas comes from Imports and exports How much gas is left Use of natural gas Prices Factors affecting natural gas prices Natural gas and the environment Customer choice programs. Also in Coal explained Coal Mining and transportation Where our coal comes from Imports and exports How much coal is left Use of coal Prices and outlook Coal and the environment.

Companies such as Lockhead Martin , Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation and Makai Ocean Engineering , who have become leaders in the development of this technology, are looking to bring it to market on a large commercial scale.

They have managed to gain leverage from the expertise in Hawaii, for example, which has the right ocean temperature variations and depth required for this technology to work. OTEC technology is not all about electricity generation, it has a much wider scope than that.

An onshore OTEC facility can for example not only create electricity, but other products that include fresh water and hydrogen that can promote agriculture and be used as a fuel, respectively. The upwelling of cold water from the depths of the ocean also helps aquaculture thrive, through its fertilising capabilities. An offshore OTEC facility, as previously mentioned, can be harnessed by companies and countries that are currently involved in deep sea mining exploitation in remote locations.

For instance existing deep water, offshore platforms can be upgraded with OTEC technology for the production of hydrogen fuel. It seems evident that oil and gas companies that also have the transportation facilities can use existing machines to transport this fuel around the world. We need to move away from the burning of fossil fuels and move to a technology like OTEC to not only produce the energy requirements, but to produce an alternative fuel like hydrogen, that can be combusted as an alternative.

Fossil fuels are wasted in the combustion processes as this deprives future generations of key materials e. OTEC is not suitable for all locations, but tropical waters are abundant, so can be used in conjunction with other renewable energy sources to help drive a world free from fossil fuel dependence.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website.

These cookies do not store any personal information. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies.