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Chinese Developer To Build Ocean-Water Thermal Energy System
the_newsbeagle writes "When you've got a wacky high-tech idea that will cost a lot of money, head to China. Lockheed Martin is the latest company to heed this advice. For decades, Lockheed has investigated ocean thermal energy conversion, in which the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep water is leveraged to produce power. Just a few years ago, the company was working with the Navy and discussing a possible OTEC pilot project in Hawaii's Pearl Harbor. That idea has since been scrapped, and Lockheed is now partnering with a Chinese resort developer to build the 10-MW pilot plant off the coast of southern China. Lockheed hasn't disclosed the cost of building this plant, but outside experts say it might cost more than $300 million."
The one in Okinawa Japan was on TV the other day generating 12 KW. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversion#Japan
Damm, where are my mod points. The reason the ocean around the Galloglass islands is so rich in sea life is because of one such upwelling. The power in those upwelling's is several orders of magnitude higher than our global energy needs and natural fish stocks are very high where they occur naturally. The waters around natural upwelling's is so productive they could be used to map the global southern ocean fishing fleet.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
I live on the west side of Hawai'i, and the situation for why the OTEC plant isnt powering this island, Maui and O'ahu is one of simple democratic governance failure. The state regulatory agency boondoggle known as the PUC (public utilities commission) has given a monopoly to HELCO for all of the electric delivery grid, allowed them to charge cost-plus rates for electricity (and burn Diesel as thier primary generation fuel). We have the HIGHEST power rate in the nation last i checked, and HELCO is not mandated to purchase energy produced by any other producer at a rate above the mainland wholesale. OTEC plant has run for nearly 20 years, the plant is not 'decomissioned, the local temperature difference is between 26.6 C mean yearly at the surface, and 6 C at depth. The high volumes of water is a natural result in thermal upwelling inside the meter wide tubes as a small maount of warmth infiltrates the in line water and causes natural convection driven 'pumping action' that is not restricted will squeeze the ends of the pipes shut (much like pulling too fast on a soda straw in a fruit smoothie).
The science and scalability have been proven, if it werent for local politics interfering with the business realm we would have ZERO pollution energy, naturally powered desalination and atmospheric water extraction (cold water in pipes make them sweat - you can water alot of garden with this by product)
The cost - to power ratio for building and operating this technology is better than most if not all alternative (nee green) power production methods, it runs Day and Night.
The 'tenents' on NELHA property do make excellent use of the runoff after OTEC power production; we have local seahorse, abalone, shellfish, spirulina, and mineral water (no sodium chloride left, but all the trace minerals remaining) which is sold exclusively in Japan - because the high price demand of that market completely outstrips local budgets. (My mother-in-law used to work at one plant, and a business client is the systems engineer at another desalination facility - both have told me tat they aren't even looking to obtain permits for Hawaii consumer safety certification because of the Japanese demand.)
The resultant 'nutrient upwelling' effect supports several offshore suspended fish net operations, notably Kona Blue's Kampachi (skipjack i think - but i always order kit as sushi so its all Kampachi to me). One abalone farm has been using spat and breeding stock from the northeast coast of japan (RikuChuKaian) that has lost much of it fishing resources in the 2011 tsunami - and they are awaiting Japanese government permission to reintroduce young abalone into damaged areas as soon as the permissions and conditions are appropriate.
If our local powergrid was deregulated and consumers were allowed to choose the source of electricity; hands down this technology wins across the board.
Negotiations are underway for additional 100Mw and 25Mw facilities here in the islands, but as perviously stated, the involvement of HELCO is not making me hopeful for any success. The Okinawa plant uses the same technology and designs that have been the result of ongoing research and developed here since 1974.
I wish the NELHA gateway visitors center had a better presentation and that the plant had a better public affairs office with regularly scheduled 'tours' of the tech demonstrator plant in operation; you would have been better informed if the information were more easily accessible during your visit.
I guess the engineering team just lacks the PR presence that wind turbine industry has.
It's not a 'slam dunk' - but then no power plant construction of any kind is really a slam dunk - they all take a significant investment to build and operate; this one just has a nearly limitless clean fuel supply, it just happens to be salty, and power plant engineers seem to like halocorrosive metal tubing over flexible plastic which isn't corroded by salt buildup. (By the way, it might even be profitable to keep the plant certified as a