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Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
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Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a source of renewable energy which uses the solar heat energy stored in oceans to generate usable electricity.1 OTEC works best when the temperature difference between the warmer, top layer of the ocean and the colder, deep ocean water is about 36°F. These conditions exist in tropical coastal areas, roughly between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. To bring the cold water to the surface, OTEC plants require an expensive, large diameter intake pipe, which is submerged a mile or more into the ocean's depths.2
Footnotes
1: Think Quest, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, library.thinkquest.org.
2US Department of Energy, Renewable Energy: Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, apps1.eere.energy.gov.
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