International group of experts is making progress on the development of a new ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) guidance document which could be released by the end of the year.
The guidance document, IEC TS 62600-20, will be a technical specification developed within the technical committee TC114 of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
The document will cover land‐based, shelf‐mounted and floating OTEC plants which generate electrical power.
It will be applicable to the OTEC structure, process flows and machinery, electrical equipment and controls to the point of interconnection to the primary load or electrical grid, according to the OTEC Foundation.
The document is expected to benefit the whole OTEC community, providing guidance to designers and project developers, and reassuring investors, insurers and national authorities.
The first draft of the document has already been produced and reviewed by different TC114 participating countries in January 2017, with a new version of the guide targeted for the end of 2017.
IEC TC-114 is the committee that develops international technical specifications and standards for marine energy conversion systems, with the primary focus on conversion of wave, tidal and other water current energy into electrical energy.