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800 South Queen Street | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | 17603-5818 | United States of America Phone: +1 717.299.1344 | Fax: +1 717.299.1336
Offices in: Bahamas | Hawaii | Pennsylvania | Virginia [email protected] | www.OTEcorporation.com
Contact: Jeremy P. Feakins, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
“The potential of OTEC is great. The oceans are the biggest solar collector on Earth, and there’s enough energy in them to supply a thousand times the world’s needs. If you want to depend on nature, the oceans are the only energy source big enough to tap.”
Dr. Joseph Huang – Senior Scientist, NOAA and DOE
OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION or OTEC, is a way to generate base-load electricity using the temperature difference of seawater at different depths. The method involves pumping cold water from the ocean depths (as deep as 1 km) to the surface and extracting energy from the flow of heat between the cold water and warm surface water.
OTEC utilizes the temperature difference that exists between deep and shallow waters — within 20 degrees of latitude North or South of the equator in the tropics — to run a heat engine. This temperature difference (OTEC requires a temperature differential of at least 20°C) is sufficient for OTEC.
Because the oceans are continually heated by the sun and cover nearly 70% of the Earth's surface, this temperature difference contains a vast amount of solar energy that can be tapped for human use. With the current price of oil now exceeding more than $70/bbl, this extraction can now be done profitably and on a large scale. It will be a solution to some of the human population's energy problems. The total energy available is one or two orders of magnitude higher than other ocean energy options such as wave power.
A further benefit of OTEC is that, unlike most renewable energies, it is base-load – the thermal resource of the ocean ensures the power source is available day or night, and with only modest variation from summer to winter. It is environmentally benign, and some OTEC plants would actually result in net CO2 absorption. A unique feature of OTEC is the additional products that can readily be provided – food (aquaculture and agriculture); potable water; air conditioning; etc. In large part these arise from the pathogen-free, nutrient-rich, deep cold water that is used in the OTEC cycle. OTEC is therefore the basis for a whole family of Deep Ocean Water Applications (DOWA), which can also benefit the cost of generated electricity and is itself in very considerable demand in most areas where OTEC can operate.
Economic Benefits
• Base-load Power: Available 24/7 • Reduced fuel imports • Stable utilities pricing • Reduced capital expense to Power Company and Government • Affordable incremental power capacity increase • Reduced burden on existing utilities • Life cycle cost savings
Environmental Benefits
• Inexhaustible renewable energy from local resources • Fossil fuel avoidance:
• ~15,000 bbls oil per year per MW • Zero emissions
• Saves nearly 7,000 tons CO2 per year per MW
• Sustainable fresh water supply • Energy conservation (SDC)
Social Benefits
• Affordable fresh water and power • New industries/jobs/export opportunities (aquaculture) • Increased fuel flexibility and energy security • World leadership role in eco-awareness
