Without water, life would never be able to exist on Earth. Water does not have to be limited to that role, though. Dams installed in rivers can be used to generate hydropower, which is electricity generated from the kinetic energy of water. Hydropower generates twenty percent of the world's electricity, and is responsible for ninety-seven percent of electricity generated from renewable energy sources. Hydropower is so relatively prevalent, Norway uses hydropower to generate ninety-nine percent of its electricity. Hydropower, however, because of its dependence on dams, can only be harvested in rivers, and this form of electric generation fails to harvest the heat inherent in some water.
A relatively new method of harvesting water-based energy, called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, or OTEC, promises to harvest this energy. In fact, the energy in the world's oceans is so bountiful that only one-tenth of a percent of this energy could provide twenty times the energy consumed by the United States. The only requirement for an OTEC system is a difference of 20 degrees Celsius between the temperature of the surface water and the temperature of the water deep below the surface. Despite the promise of OTEC, the world has not yet financed a permanent OTEC plant. Still, OTEC is inspiring for some futurists, having proposed using OTEC to power conceptual underwater hotels and floating cities. Unlike hydropower, OTEC is not yet being used, but may hold much more potential. In fact, hydropower and OTEC could let humanity expand if the technology is advanced, and, combined with other renewable energy sources, will provide untold amounts of power for the world and eliminate the dependence of fossil fuels.
P.S.: Here is a video on OTEC from Youtube.
4 comments:
Tommy,
This is an interesting power source. The Ocean. The crazy thing is that it is not far fetched at all. I know that there are still a little ways before OTEC gets under way but I have read that there are also little projects that have used the Ocean's vast powers. In this month's Popular Science it talks of harnessing the power from waves and how this provides renewable energy.
Fantastic Stuff.
Thanks,
Robert
IGetNoSleep,
The concept of using the kinetic energy in waves for harvesting is intriguing, but this energy is, in simplicity, hydropower, which does not harvest the immense heat contained in the oceans. A description of the basic technology used to harness the energy in waves would be appreciated and allow me to give a detailed evaluation of the technology.
Tommy
I think this would be an amazing source of energy. Using our oceans as an energy resource could be the perfect solution, but would this method have any negative side effects? Could it be harmful to the wide variety of animals that live in the ocean? Economically how would this form of energy impact the United States?
St3Vzla,
I wish I could answer your question, but, as I said earlier, a permanent OTEC plant has not yet been established, which makes measuring any negative side effects difficult to impossible to predict. Economically, the fact that an OTEC plant has not been permanently placed in the ocean suggests that this form of harvesting energy may be expensive, but technological advancements may lower that cost. Until scientists obtain more concrete data on OTEC's side effects, the world may not see OTEC providing the vast sums of energy the technology promises.
Tommy
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