UK-based clean energy firm Global OTEC (ocean thermal energy conversion) has completed the installation of its purpose-built floating ocean thermal energy system in the Canary Islands.
The OTEC technology is designed to generate continuous electricity by harnessing the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep ocean water.
Global OTEC was founded in 2017 to provide small tropical islands with a continuous supply of clean, affordable energy. Predominantly reliant on outdated diesel generators, these island nations lack suitable alternatives for electricity generation.
Instead of importing fossil fuels, the aim was to extract heat from the warm seawater surrounding the island. The technology uses a closed cycle to harness the temperature difference between warm surface seawater (around 25-30°C) and cold deep seawater (around 4-5°C). Warm water is pumped into a heat exchanger, where it heats a low-boiling-point fluid such as ammonia, causing it to evaporate into a high...