Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
Have you ever considered the ocean as the world’s largest solar collector and energy storage system? OTEC harnesses this renewable solar energy absorbed by tropical oceans to generate electric power.
The world’s first production of net electrical power via ocean thermal energy conversion took place at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) in Kona on Hawaii Island following the 1970s national energy crisis.
In 2012, NELHA selected OTEC International LLC, funded largely by the Abell Foundation, to build a 1 megawatt OTEC demonstration plant at its Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) Park. Previously, the largest energy plant at NELHA generated up to 220 kilowatts of electricity.
