| Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) was | | | | water found on the surface of the ocean is turned into |
| conceived of by the French engineer Jacques | | | | a low-pressure vapor under the constraint of a |
| D'Arsonval in 1881. However, at the time of this writing | | | | vacuum. The low-pressure vapor is released in a |
| the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii is home to | | | | focused area and it has the power to drive the turbine. |
| the only operating experimental OTEC plant on the | | | | To cool down the vapor and create desalinated water |
| face of the earth. OTEC is a potential alternative | | | | for human consumption, the deeper ocean's cold |
| energy source that needs to be funded and explored | | | | waters are added to the vapor after it has generated |
| much more than it presently is. | | | | sufficient electricity. |
| The great hurdle to get over with OTEC | | | | Hybrid Cycle OTEC is really just a theory for the time |
| implementation on a wide and practically useful level is | | | | being. It seeks to describe the way that we could |
| cost. It is difficult to get the costs down to a | | | | make maximum usage of the thermal energy of the |
| reasonable level because of the processes presently | | | | ocean's waters. There are actually two sub-theories to |
| utilized to drive OTEC. Ocean thermal energy would | | | | the theory of Hybrid Cycling. The first involves using a |
| be very clean burning and not add pollutants into the | | | | closed cycling to generate electricity. This electricity is |
| air. However, as it presently would need to be set up | | | | in turn used to create the vacuum environment |
| with our current technologies, OTEC plants would have | | | | needed for open cycling. The second component is |
| the capacity for disrupting and perhaps damaging the | | | | the integration of two open cyclings such that twice |
| local environment. | | | | the amount of desalinated, potable water is created |
| There are three kinds of OTEC. | | | | than with just one open cycle. |
| Closed Cycle OTEC uses a low-boiling point liquid such | | | | In addition to being used for producing electricity, a |
| as, for example, propane to act as an intermediate | | | | closed cycle OTEC plant can be utilized for treating |
| fluid. The OTEC plant pumps the warm sea water into | | | | chemicals. OTEC plants, both open cycling and close |
| the reaction chamber and boils the intermediate fluid. | | | | cycling kinds, are also able to be utilized for pumping up |
| This results in the intermediate fluid's vapor pushing the | | | | cold deep sea water which can then be used for |
| turbine of the engine, which thus generates electricity. | | | | refrigeration and air conditioning. |
| The vapor is then cooled down by putting in cold sea | | | | Furthermore, during the moderation period when the |
| water. | | | | sea water is surrounding the plant, the enclosed are |
| Open Cycle OTEC is not that different from closed | | | | can be used for mariculture and aquaculture projects |
| cycling, except in the Open Cycle there is no | | | | such as fish farming. There is clearly quite an array of |
| intermediate fluid. The sea water itself is the driver of | | | | products and services that we could derive from this |
| the turbine engine in this OTEC format. Warm sea | | | | alternative energy source. |