Ocean

Thermal
Energy
Conversion

Renin
Shubham
 INTRODUCTION
• The oceans cover a little more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface.
This makes them the world's largest solar energy collector and energy
storage system.
• Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is a way to generate
electricity using the temperature difference of sea water at different
depth to run heat engines and produce useful work.
• Since OTEC exploits renewable solar energy, recurring costs to
generate electrical power are minimal.
• OTEC utilizes the world’s largest solar radiation collector - The ocean.
The ocean contains enough energy power all of the world’s electrical
needs.
SCHEMATIC BLOCK DIAGRAM
 HOW DOES IT WORK ?
• Its works on the principle of “Carnot Efficiency”.
• Carnot Efficiency states that the maximum efficiency any heat
engine can obtain, which solely depends on the difference between
the hot and cold temperature reservoirs. { (T1-T2)/T1 }
• As long as the temperature between the warm surface water and the
cold deep water differs by about 20°C (36°F), an OTEC system can
produce a significant amount of power with a maximum Carnot
Efficiency of about 6.7%
• Half of the earths incoming solar energy is absorbed between the
Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer.
OTEC PLANTS

OTEC Plant in Okinawa, Japan

OTEC Plant in Makai, US
CURRENTLY OPERATING PLANTS IN THE
WORLD
• It has been installed in
country like Japan, United
States (Virgin Islands),
Hawaii and Bahramas.
• It produced output power
of 10KW during 2012-13.
• Its is proposed to
generated 100MW in the
coming future years.

OTEC Project at Hawaii

SOME AMAZING FACTS
OTEC Project at Bahramas

Some years ago, ocean

Engineer Richard estimated
that the oceans and
atmosphere between them
intercept.. about
“80 trillion kW Power"
How much of that could we
recover from the sea….??
OTEC IN INDIA
• India's first ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) plant will come up off
the Tuticorin shore
• The Department has plans to set up OTEC plants of 2 MW to 20 MW
capacities in the next few years.
• After the completion of testing of the 1 MW OTEC plant in Tuticorin, NIOT
plans to shift the same plant to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands for power
generation. This will be a stepping stone for the proposed 10-25 MW range
shore mounted power plants.
 High output can
be obtained
compared to
solar or wind
energy
Renewable Agriculture

No problem of
pollution or
Some It is
inexhaustible
Environmental source of
friendly Pro’s energy
 Large
temperature
difference
Release of required
Maintenance
toxic
chemical is high

Capital Some Effect on

investment
marine life
is very high Con’s
FUTURE PROSPECTS
• The fossil fuels will in the near future be consumed, so we had to find
some alternative energy sources. OTEC is a source, which uses the
renewable solar collector, the sea, instead of an artificial collector.

• OTEC technology has the potential to be integrated with other

commercial systems (e.g., aquaculture and sea water air conditioning)
and products (e.g., potable water, ammonia, and hydrogen).

• Currently Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation is working with the U.S.

Navy on a design for a proposed 13-MW OTEC plant, to replace the
current diesel generators.
Thank you…