Powering the U.S. electrical grid with electricity generated/cabled to shore from ocean thermal energy in the Gulf of Mexico

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) can provide a baseload, renewable source of electricity that is generated aboard floating power plants in the Gulf of Mexico (see "Energy from the Ocean", attached). Such plants might look like the Lockheed conceptual design of a 265 MWe spar-buoy configuration (shown in the attached illustration). This energy source could serve as a large augmentation of the electricity supplied to the U.S. electrical grid by wind energy in the PickensPlan strategy (see "Pickens.doc", attached).

Baseload, OTEC-derived electricity could be cabled to the U.S. electrical grid (e.g., into Tampa, New Orleans, and Brownsville) from ocean thermal power plants located in the Gulf of Mexico at distances ranging from about 60 to 100 miles, respectively. Thus, following the PickensPlan strategy, this would mean, in effect, that ocean thermal energy would be converted into natural gas that could be used to fuel vehicles. Along with being used to fuel hurricanes!

Similarly to the PickensPlan strategy on diverting natural gas to a higher use, I note that in the case of oil we have long been pointing out that baseload ocean thermal energy power plants can replace oil-derived electricity at the rate of 40 BBL of oil per day per MWe of capacity. Back in the 70s we estimated that there would be an early such market—in many locations, such as Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and in developing nations—of some 50,000 MWe, thus offsetting an oil use of 2 million BBL/day.

And there is also a huge potential for employing ocean thermal “plantships”, grazing on the high seas at tropical and sub-tropical locations in the major oceans, to harvest ocean thermal energy. And from it, to manufacture energy-intensive products—such as ammonia—for use as energy-carriers (e.g., of hydrogen), or for end-uses such as fertilizer. Commercial OTEC power plants and plantships would probably range in size between about 100 to 500 MWe.

For the above reasons, and especially because of its huge potential payoff when the plantship option becomes competitive, I am cautiously optimistic that ocean thermal energy has good prospects for becoming the world's largest source of renewable energy, as the world rises to the challenge of making the transition from depletable to renewable sources of energy.

Insofar as the CO2 aspects of ocean thermal energy, and its potential for helping mitigate global warming, please see the article, "Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion and CO2 Sequestration" and the ensuing discussion at URL http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/ate/story?id=52762
Please note my comments #11 and #12 regarding that article.