- Capital investment is very high.
- Conversion efficiency is very low about 3-4% due to small temperature difference in between the surface water and deep water.
- Low efficiency of these plants coupled with high capital cost and maintenance cost makes them uneconomical for small plants.
What are the benefits of OTEC?
The advantages of OTEC include being able to provide electricity on a continuous (non-intermittent) basis , while also providing cooling without electricity consumption. The technological challenge is that the small temperature difference requires very large volumes of water at minimum pressure losses.
What are the challenges with OTEC plant?
The primary environmental challenge that commercial OTEC faces is demonstrating that returning warmed water to the ocean will not disrupt the ecosystem , or provide a mitigation solution so that near and long term effects are acceptable.
What is the advantage and disadvantage of ocean thermal energy?
| Advantages Disadvantages | It creates electricity without the discharge of greenhouse gases. A constant supply of cold and warm water is needed. So the plant can be built in only appropriate for tropical areas. |
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What is a disadvantage of ocean thermal energy?
Disadvantages of OTEC
Electricity produced from OTEC would currently cost more than that produced from fossil fuels. Discharging of cold and warm sea water needs to be carried out several metres away from the shore to avoid any dwelling impact on marine ecosystems.
What are the disadvantages of ocean?
Disadvantages – Sometimes there will not be a lot of waves (which means no energy), It could interfere with ocean ecosystems in the area of the currents, and the temperature is raised wherever ocean currents are happening (which could also ruin an ecosystem).
How is OTEC caused?
Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is a process or technology for producing energy by harnessing the temperature differences (thermal gradients) between ocean surface waters and deep ocean waters . Energy from the sun heats the surface water of the ocean.
What are the pros and cons of OTEC?
The pros are OTEC is fuel free, has a low environmental impact, can supply pure water for both drinking and agriculture, can supply refrigeration and cooling and can provide a coastal community with reliable energy . [1] The cons are that OTEC is economically expensive, and it only works in a few regions of the world.
Why is OTEC so expensive?
OTEC Energy What is the Cost of OTEC Energy? At the present time, despite the fact that OTEC systems have no fuel costs and can produce useful by-products, the high initial cost of building such power plants makes OTEC generated electricity more expensive than conventional alternatives .
What are the benefits advantages and disadvantages of OTEC?
Power from OTEC is continuous, renewable and pollution free . Unlike other forms of solar energy, output of OTEC shows very little daily or seasonal variation. Drawing of warm and cold sea water and returning of the sea water, close to the thermocline, could be accomplished with minimum environment impact.
Where is OTEC used?
Hawaii is the best US OTEC location, due to its warm surface water, access to very deep, very cold water, and high electricity costs. The laboratory has become a leading test facility for OTEC technology. In the same year, Lockheed received a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to study OTEC.
Which of the following is a closed type OTEC?
Ammonia is used as working fluid in closed-cycle OTEC.
How many OTEC plants are there in the world?
How many types of OTEC plants are there? Explanation: There are three types of ocean thermal energy plants. They are closed cycle systems, open cycle ocean thermal energy conversion and hybrid ocean thermal energy conversion. Explanation: Closed cycle system uses the fluid having low boiling points.
Which alternative energy source do you think is more efficient?
Although there are many types of energy, the most efficient forms are renewable: hydro-thermal, tidal, wind, and solar. Solar energy has been proven to be the most efficient and effective among renewable energy sources for home and commercial use.
Do humans dump waste in the ocean?
Although the ocean covers two-thirds of the surface of the Earth, it is surprisingly vulnerable to human influences such as overfishing, pollution from run-off, and dumping of waste from human activity .
Is living by the ocean safe?
Over time, living near the ocean can improve your health , reducing your risk of obesity, heart disease, and other illnesses. It’s no wonder that ocean-front property values are so high; with a myriad of health benefits and beautiful views, living near the ocean is a dream come true.
