UK-based company Global OTEC has secured a certificate of approval for a cold-water riser installation for its first commercial-scale ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) platform.
The first certificate of approval for the methodology of installation of a cold-water riser marks an important milestone on the way to building its first OTEC platform , according to Global OTEC .
This forms a crucial step in the design process, using standards already tested and applied to the oil and gas industry for implementation in OTEC deployments, the company said.
The certificate was issued by the marine warranty surveyor company ABL Group and has been in effect since the April 4, 2023. This approval is particularly important given the technical challenges faced by OTEC installations, and the long history of OTEC’s unsuccessful implementations, Global OTEC noted.
“History is an important teacher, and we are committed to learning from it. Failure of previous OTEC projects highlights where we should exercise caution, so third-party technical due diligence from the earliest stage is important for our success,” said Dan Grech , Global OTEC’s founder and CEO.
Global OTEC has designed what will be the first commercial-scale OTEC system, the 1.5MW floating platform named Dominique.
Set to be installed in São Tomé and Príncipe in 2025 , the platform is expected to serve as an example to the rest of the world of how diesel fuel imports can be replaced with clean energy from the ocean.
Generating power from the temperature difference naturally present across the tropical area of the ocean, OTEC uses warm surface seawater to evaporate a fluid, which produces a vapor that spins a turbine.
Cold water from deep in the ocean is then used to cool the vapor and condense it back into a liquid so the cycle can continue all year round.