Renewable Energy From the Ocean A Guide to OTEC [Hardcover]

Scientists and engineers around the world are striving to develop new sources of energy. One source, ocean thermal energy conversion, has virtually unlimited potential. It is based on techniques that exploit heat produced by solar energy that may, in turn, be used to produce fuel and electricity. This book reviews the status and background of this promising technology. William H. Avery is the leading expert in this field, and his co-author Chih Wu is an authority on heat engine performance. Together they describe the workings of an OTEC power plant and how such a system might be implemented as part of a futuristic national energy strategy. The book is the only detailed presentation of basic OTEC technology, its testing and improvement. It is based on extensive development initiatives undertaken internationally during the period from 1974 through 1985. The book offers a thorough assessment of the economics of OTEC in comparison with other energy production methods. It will be of interest to a wide range of professionals in energy research, power and mechanical engineering, and to upper-level undergraduate students taking courses in these fields.

1. Introduction and Overview
2. OTEC Historical Background
3. OTEC System Concepts
4. Closed Cycle OTEC Systems
5. Open-Cycle OTEC
6. OTEC Closed-Cycle Engineering Status
7. OTEC Closed-Cycle Systems Cost Evaluation
8. OTEC Economics
9. Environmental and Social Effects of OTEC Commercialization

Who would deny that we are once again in the middle of an energy/environmental/population crisis? Now, however, a critical mass of investigators employing the waters of Hawaii as their laboratory have developed the proof that ocean thermal energy and its by-productrs are an important element in a rational and environmentally sustainable solution. This important work is being recognized. Relevant pilot projects now exist in Britain and Hawaii, and developments are under serious consideratilÞ