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Unlimited Solar Energy from the Ocean? Monday, February 25, 2008 - Sarah Gingichashvili Home >> News >> Green Technology
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In the late 1800’s, the French physicist Jacques Arsene d’Arsonval proposed a method for generating electricity using the sea as a giant solar-energy collector. It is considered that the technology, termed “Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion” (OTEC), may enable the establishment of an efficient energy storage system across the world, supplying enough energy for our entire planet.
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Throughout the years, a number of attempts were made to refine the technology and construct a practical prototype of an OTEC plant. D’Arsonval’s student, Georges Claude, was the first to succeed in building an OTEC plant in Cuba in 1930, which was capable of generating 22 kW of electricity using a low-pressure turbine. This experiment proved the viability of such a system or, in Claude’s words “Made my virulent opponents hold their tongues.” Five years later, Claude constructed another OTEC plant aboard a cargo vessel. Unfortunately, it was destroyed shortly after the vessel departed due to poor weather conditions. The appearance of large amounts of cheap oil in the mid-twentieth century eventually brought OTEC research to a halt.
The architects say that an OTEC plant will not only be a supplier of green energy, but due to its unique conversion process, will also provide desalinated water as a byproduct. In addition to about 300,000 liters of fresh water each day, the OTEC plant may also be used to produce hydrogen fuel by using electrolysis. Alex Michaelis envisions the islands themselves as home to workers, who will operate and maintain the plants. Michaelis envisions the inhabitants will be able to grow seafood and vegetables, living and working in rotations on the islands.
TFOT previously covered a number of unique renewable energy technologies, including “EnviroMission’s” Solar Tower and JAXA’s project to build the world’s first space-based power generation system. You can also check out our article about “nano flakes” – a newly discovered material, capable of converting solar energy into electricity almost twice as efficiently as traditional solar cells. More information on the project, as well as the latest news on OTEC, can be found here. |
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This is huge... and really great... if it is really possible to make a lot of them and which seems actually possible for it was done earlier... wow.... contact me: faisal_majick@yahoo.com |
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With technologies such as this, it is getting increasingly more difficult to understand why any country would want nuclear reactors, which, by the are not cheap to build, operate I'd staff. |
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Using a bay to capture solar energy is another option. Just like OTEC, OST uses a Rankine cycle. The difference between the two methods is the amount of energy production based on the delta temperature between the two bodies of ocean. The larger the temperature delta, the more energy that can be extracted. Furthermore the ocean current on the condenser (cold) side of the system can drive the pumps in the cycle mechanically, thus removing this parasitic loss. In general, ocean bay solar (OST) plants are location dependent. Such a plant should be picked in prime locations close to the equator, strong currents, and cold deep trench ocean. |
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thanks, i'm doing electrical engineering National diploma at Durban university of Technology(south Africa) and i have been assigned to to do a design project on OTEC I need help with the design considering the fact that this project has has never been done in South africa. please helm me . |