Issues in Transmission, Storage & Transport of Energy
ENERGY
A major component in the deployment of any energy production system is the issue of transmission of that power. Without an effective method of transmission, any power generated needs to be stored, or converted to a form that can be used effectively. Take for example, wind energy. Many of the current wind farms are set up in areas that are remote from electrical grids. To transport that energy, power lines must be built.
The issue of transmission is particularly relevant to hydro-electric systems, that are almost always at great distance from larger centers that utilize the power.
Coal-powered or natural gas-powered power systems, though, often are built near larger centres. The ``storage” of that power is also the energy source; namely the coal or natural gas that is transported to the generation site.
Whenever power is transmitted over wire, there is an inevitable loss of power that occurs. That loss must be built into the calculations of the feasibility of the project.
Such is the case with OTEC power. Transmitting OTEC-generated energy over long distances is particularly problematic, since most potential OTEC sites are at some distance from shore, where the energy is to be used. Use of underwater electrical power lines inevitably would result in loss of considerable power, run the risk of corrosion due to salt, leakage due to water, or damage due to unpredictable weather.
If standard power transmission lines are not viable, then alternatives, such as thermochemical transmission must be considered. Ecotera Energy offers an innovative turbine, the Thermochemicasl Energy Conversion (TEC) engine, that, using a closed cycle process, will converts a “carrier” energy though a chemical reaction to regenerate energy that has been “stored.” TEC systems are not radically different in principle from conventional battery storage systems, in that the energy captured by the thermochemical process is held for later use.
Batteries appear to have reached close to their maximum effectiveness. They are able to store energy that is inputted to them in a limited to moderate manner. The standard wet cell battery, for example, works the same way as an electric eel, regenerating electricity between a series of plates (or cells).
Batteries and thermochemical processes are governed by the same principle: energy can never be destroyed or created. It is always conserved, but can be converted. Look at the work of a spring in a windup toy. On the surface, the energy released (the toy’s movement) after the wound spring is released appears to come from nowhere. But the energy inputted by the hand winding of the mechanical component equals the energy outputted. Nothing lost, nothing gained.
The best we hope for in conversion of energy is that we rely on other “assists” from latent energy. Pulleys, screws and lever & fulcrums all provide instances of energy that is being redirected, and used more effectively. No energy is lost or gained.
In OTEC system design, a major concern is transmission, storage or conversion of energy. Converting OTEC energy captured into hydrogen is the most commonly considered method. But the need to explore better means of converting, storing and transmitting the huge amounts of energy that OTEC can generate opens significant opportunity for a breakthrough in OTEC deployment.
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