Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Database

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has provided a Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Database to be shared by industry and government. From the site:

The Database, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, is a central repository of in-depth information and data on marine and hydrokinetic technology, companies, and projects being developed in the United States and abroad. The Database includes information on the location, application, nameplate capacity, stage and status of various companies’ technologies and projects.

U.S. Navy uses OTEC to cut energy consumption

In an article posted by the Environmental Leader, the United States Navy has cuts its energy consumption by 12 percent this year using conservation and alternative fuel sources, one of which being OTEC. This makes sense given the necessity of locating naval bases on shorelines and particularly islands, where import of fossil fuels is more expensive.

The move is seen as a step for the entire Department of Defense's internal goal to generate 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.

Technical Paper on SOTEC

Dr. Noboru Yamada, from Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan, wrote a conference paper regarding an enhancement of OTEC power generation using solar. Called SOTEC, the modelling indicates that an OTEC's efficiency can be increased 1.5 times using solar power.

This seems to me to be a no-brainer. Every OTEC island drawing up cold sea water from below should have solar panels absorbing sunlight from above and turbines harvesting wind from the sides. Energy flows in all directions.

New Scientist article extols OTEC

"Plumbing the oceans could bring limitless clean energy"
19 November 2008 by Phil McKenna

FOR a company whose business is rocket science Lockheed Martin has been paying unusual attention to plumbing of late. The aerospace giant has kept its engineers occupied for the past 12 months poring over designs for what amounts to a very long fibreglass pipe.

It is, of course, no ordinary pipe but an integral part of the technology behind Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), a clean, renewable energy source that has the potential to free many economies from their dependence on oil.

Hawaii signs OTEC deal with Taiwan

Hawaii governor Linda Lingle announced a new partnership during a visit in Taiwan last week. The plan will be to build a 10-megawatt OTEC pilot plant in Hawaii to help satisfy the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative. The system will be supported by both Lockheed Martin and the Taiwan Industrial Technology Research Institute.

Hawaii currently relies on imported fossil fuel for 94% of its energy needs. Taiwan's situation is even more precarious--just one percent of it energy is produced by indigenent sources. The OTEC is one step in a broad plan to both conserve, enhance, and produce renewable energy.

Creating Green Hydrogen with OTEC

Neal Rauhauser of the Cutting Edge has written a basic informational piece on creating 'green hydrogen' (hydrogen made with renewable electricity) using OTEC.

Hydrogen is growing as a powerful energy source, but it's difficult to extract and once obtained, it's difficult to store, transport, and work with. Ammonia is a carbon-free hydrogen carrier that can make working with hydrogen much easier, such that we can power vehicles with ammonia fuel.

But where to get the power to do this? Among other sources, from OTEC, of course. Rauhauser correctly points out that solar power can only work when the sun is shining, and a wind power site is considered excellent if it works 40% of the time, but an OTEC is online and working 24/7.

"Oceanasphere" Fish Farm

Hawaii Oceanic Technology has developed the Oceanasphere, a 162-foot diameter fish farm that runs on OTEC to generate clean energy for its seafood harvesting.

Mankind was able to make a fundamental leap when it ended relying strictly on hunting-and-gathering methods for finding food and land and instead developed agriculture. A cultivated square mile of land is able to support far more people than the same square mile used for only hunting and gathering.

However, we still have a hunter-and-gatherer mentality when it comes to the food resources of the ocean. Every day ships with nets trawl the waters, hunting schools and gathering them up for consumption. Traditional fish farms have had limited success due to a necessary proximity to shorelines which prohibit the raising of certain kinds of fish and crustaceans.

Floating islands, however, can be planted where the harvesting is best. With OTEC and other alternative energy sources, they can be self-sufficient and even profitable, selling home-grown fish to nearby population centers that have fished out their natural supplies.