Imagine a giant floating straw that pulls freezing water from the deep ocean to create electricity using the warmth of the sun at the surface. The trick is making the straw and the platform strong enough to survive massive ocean waves and salt corrosion without costing a fortune. This work creates a smarter, cylindrical design and better materials to make this power source reliable for islands.
Remote islands and tropical regions rely on expensive, polluting diesel for power. Current ocean thermal energy systems are too expensive to build and cannot survive extreme ocean weather.
A cylindrical floating platform design including a mooring system, a gimbal attachment for cold water pipes, and a set of optimized materials and computational models.
If you are an offshore energy developer dealing with high installation costs for deep-sea power—this project developed a cylindrical platform and gimbal system that lowers CAPEX. This allows for baseload power generation in tropical regions.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with material failure in extreme saltwater environments—this project developed new sealants and robust materials for riser pipes. These gains are transferable to other floating marine devices.
If you are a utility provider dealing with expensive diesel imports for remote islands—this project developed an OTEC model designed to bring the cost of energy below market rate diesel costs.
The project aims to reduce the Levelised Cost Of Energy (LCOE) to a point where it is below the cost of market rate diesel.
Yes, the project focuses on designing a cylindrical platform capable of providing reliable, baseload power for Small Islands and Developing States.
Based on available project data, the project produces technical specifications, computational models for design optimization, and research on novel materials.
The design includes a specific mooring system and a gimbal attachment for the cold water pipe to withstand extreme weather effects.
The project period runs from 2022-11-01 to 2026-06-30, including the build and installation of a demonstrator.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with a 57% industry ratio, comprising 4 industrial partners and 2 SMEs across 5 countries. This suggests a strong focus on commercial viability and practical application rather than purely academic research, led by a public entity (PLOCAN) specializing in oceanic platform exploitation.
Contact the Consorcio para el Diseño, Construcción, Equipamiento y Explotación de la Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias
Contact us to explore licensing for the OTEC cylindrical platform designs and material specifications.
