Prospector

Tropical juice - Power from the sea

This is an interesting project. It may be a scam. The principles are sound. In my Thermodynamics class in college in the 1970's we designed one of these as a team project. It could work.
I would worry about adverse environmental problems not adressed in this article.

Quotes:
Published: 25 February 2005 12:00
Source: The Engineer

A contract to build and operate a floating 100MW power plant that uses tropical seawater to generate electricity could be announced within the next two months, its developer has claimed.

Designed by Baltimore-based Sea Solar Power, the system is based on technology known as Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), a principle by which solar energy trapped in the warm waters of tropical oceans is converted into useable energy.

The technology works by exploiting the temperature differential between surface water, typically around 27°C, and the 4°C water 900m below. This temperature difference is used to operate vapour turbines, which drive generators and produce electricity.

As well as generating electricity, the technology is made doubly attractive by the fact that one of its by-products is a huge amount of fresh water. Indeed, a 100MW plant ship could produce 320 million gallons of fresh water a day claimed Nicholson.

And if fresh water and electricity are not enough, the system could also provide a valuable food source. Nicholson claimed that the nutrient-rich, pathogen-free water drawn from the deep sea would enable each floating plant to support an estimated $100m worth of fish per year. ‘It’s precisely what the world’s most populated region needs — electricity, fresh water and food.’


The Engineer Online - Tropical juice

posted by Prospector @ 8:47 AM