Chinese Developer To Build Ocean-Water Thermal Energy System 93
the_newsbeagle writes "When you've got a wacky high-tech idea that will cost a lot of money, head to China. Lockheed Martin is the latest company to heed this advice. For decades, Lockheed has investigated ocean thermal energy conversion, in which the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep water is leveraged to produce power. Just a few years ago, the company was working with the Navy and discussing a possible OTEC pilot project in Hawaii's Pearl Harbor. That idea has since been scrapped, and Lockheed is now partnering with a Chinese resort developer to build the 10-MW pilot plant off the coast of southern China. Lockheed hasn't disclosed the cost of building this plant, but outside experts say it might cost more than $300 million."
Re:Not happy with this (Score:5, Insightful)
We have no idea what this is going to do to the local ecology,
Yes we do. Natural ocean currents produce millions of cubic miles of upwelling every year. This is utterly insignificant by comparison. There would be far more adverse effect on the environment if they didn't do this, because China would otherwise burn coal to generate power. Deep ocean water is very rich in nutrients, so after the heat is exchanged, the warmed deep water can be dispersed on the surface to improve fishing yields.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Not happy with this (Score:2, Insightful)
We have no idea what this is going to do to the local ecology,
Yes we do. Natural ocean currents produce millions of cubic miles of upwelling every year. This is utterly insignificant by comparison.
With megawatts continuous power to generate out of a small temperature difference you need to work through a comparably large amount of water. Your assumption of negligibility is no substitute for having seen and verified that it is indeed negligible. Very few things are in the long term, and the effects of these things will be there in medium to long term, especially if it is deemed a "success" (probably ignoring ecological side effects as China is wont to do) and more of these things get built. Simply going ahead and assuming some more is not good enough.
There would be far more adverse effect on the environment if they didn't do this, because China would otherwise burn coal to generate power.
They'll keep on doing that anyway. You didn't think their power consumption is going to go down, did you? More power available means more power consumed.
Deep ocean water is very rich in nutrients, so after the heat is exchanged, the warmed deep water can be dispersed on the surface to improve fishing yields.
Fishing yields? Overconfident much? Nature isn't in the habit of obliging our wishful thinking.
What is more likely going to happen first is an explosion of algae or whichever other small stuff, in quantities enough to kill the fishes instead.
Been there, seen that (Score:3, Insightful)
I visited the energy park on the west side of the big island of Hawaii eight years ago or so. It's quite an interesting place. They have large ~3 foot plastic pipes going down deep into the ocean. They pull up cool water from various depths. They have tenants at the facility trying to make use of that cool water. I remember a solar power plant, and an algae bio-fuel facility (I guess algae likes that kind of water). They also had a company that took the cold salt water, pulled the salt out, and bottled it for very expensive drinking water (it's supposed to be very pure).
Here are the two problems with the demonstration OTEC plant they had decommissioned that I remember the docent telling me about:
1. The salt water just eats everything.
2. The low temperature difference between the deep water and the surface means that you have to build a BIG machine to get net energy out.
I wish them luck. This is not a slam dunk.
Did you take a cranial impact? (Score:5, Insightful)
Now you cannot possibly be so stupid as to not have picked this up so what is you motivation in writing such bullshit to trick the gullible? Is it a prank or do you just feel like you want to trick kids as a bit of propaganda to help out the oil industry? As someone in the oil and coal industries I can say that we're doing quite well without your "help", so kindly fuck off because you are making us all look bad.
The wind turbine syndrome shit is all a transparent con by some idiots that are annoyed at windmills ruining their view. The instant cure for wind turbine syndrome appears to be getting some sort of financial benefit from windmills.
Re:Not happy with this (Score:5, Insightful)
$300 million is about what the USA spends per day in Iraq/Afghanistan.
In a week that's over a billion dollars.
Imagine if that money had been spent on something productive instead, like energy research.