An important milestone on the way to building the first commercial ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) platform has been achieved by Global OTEC Resources. The U.K.-based company received its first certificate of approval for the methodology of installation of a cold-water riser, for the purposes of an offshore OTEC platform. The certificate was issued by the marine warranty surveyor company ABL Group. This forms a crucial step in the design process, using standards already tested and applied to the oil and gas industry for implementation in OTEC deployments.

Global OTEC has designed what will be the first commercial-scale OTEC system, the 1.5-MW floating platform named “Dominique.” Set to be installed in São Tomé and Príncipe in 2025, this will be an example of how diesel fuel imports can be replaced with clean energy from the ocean.

Generating power from the temperature difference naturally present in the tropical areas of the ocean, OTEC uses warm surface seawater to evaporate a fluid, which produces a vapor that spins a turbine. Cold water from deep in the ocean is then used to cool the vapor and condense it back into a liquid so the cycle can continue all year round.

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