US Funding for Exploration of OTEC and SWAC
Lockheed Martin Will Receive $1 Million In Grants To Advance Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Development
The mark of acceptance for green energy is the backing of government for mainstream deployment of a project. OTEC and SWAC have just received that honour.
The US Department of Energy announced, last month, that Lockheed Martin will receive $1 million in grants to advance ocean thermal energy conversion development. In fact, Lockheed will receive a second grant, as well, to develop saltwater air conditioning applications.
Saltwater air conditioning involves drawing cold water from the bottom of the ocean off the shores of tropical and subtropical coastlines, and using that cold water to provide space cooling. This method provides the corollary benefit of cooling the surface warm ocean water when it is returned to the ecosystem after completing its task. SWAC currently is being used in Hawaii, Stockholm, Bora Bora and Ottawa. Replacing fossil fuel-driven air cooling systems with this simple system design concurrently reduces demand for non-renewable energy, and minimizes the discharge of atmospheric pollutants.
OTEC systems have existed as prototypes at various times since the 1880s. The primary impediment to commercialization has been the immense capital cost of the systems. These systems are best deployed in tropical coastal regions, where, as a rule, countries are not positioned to be able to afford the huge initial investments.
Lockheed will explore and map the amount of potential energy generation from OTEC and SWAC, and will identify regions where OTEC will be economically and practically viable. A second part of the development grant will be used to provide estimates of utility-scale project lifecycle costs and performance.
Honolulu will become the first warm-weather city to be cooled by SWAC, according to William Mahlum, president of Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning LLC. That company’s $240 million project, owned by investors from Hawaii, Sweden & Minnesota, is being supported by the US federal government, and energy funding.
With Lockheed developing the administrative infrastructure necessary for OTEC and SWAC, and Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning providing the practical application of the technology, the utilization of OTEC and SWAC takes a giant leap forward. Being able to prove, not through modelling or prototypes, but through full scale operation, that the twin technologies are cost effective, and beneficial, clears the final hurdle to successful wide-scale implementation of a pure, eco-friendly and environment-positive energy system to benefit regions of the world that have been, to date, denied cheap safe power for individuals and business growth.
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