Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC):
It was in 1881 that Jacques D’Arsonval a French engineer conceived the idea of using temperature differences in the ocean. Oceans are the largest solar energy collector. OTECt applies the conversion of solar energy absorbed into electrical energy. The water gets colder and colder as we go deeper and deeper into the ocean. This difference in temperature can be used to harness energy. A temperature gradient of 38°F is required between the warm surface and cold deep water to produce electricity. The water temperature more or less remains constant at around 4°C at a depth of 1000m.
The difference in temperature is utilized here to vaporize the selected working fluid which can be ammonia to rotate the turbine generator to create power. Comparable OTEC in Hawali has been very useful in supplying power for offshore mining. It can also coproduce during water by desalination up to 2 million liters a day for each megawatt of power generated. Other prospective places can be Haiti, the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Cuba, Jamaica, etc.