Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Essay -- Informative Essay

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is the forge of converting the ocean pees temperature difference at different depths into usable zilch. From the solar cacoethesed upper depths of the ocean to the cooler depths below 2,000 feet a 40 degree temperature difference must be maintained to generate electricity. This is a relatively new and unheard of source of energy. legion(predicate) people be not aware of the many benefits of OTEC and the impact it pass on have in the future as the use of fossil fuel regeneration declines. Heightened environmental concerns in todays world makes OTEC an attractive alternative for energy conversion. The ocean offers a natural and renewable resource which get out make it possible for converting energy this way to last for a real long, long time. OTEC is a very cost effective method of using the oceans piddles for energy conversion but its use and benefits to society have been obscure to the general public. In the coming years OTEC will pr obably be at the caput of new energy resources and a good understanding of it know will prove invaluable to power engineers of the future. How does Thermal Energy Conversion solve?OTEC is a form of solar power in that it uses the suns energy to heat the upper depths of the oceans wets. Since the suns energy cannot penetrate very deep depths (approximately 2000ft.) the temperature below these levels is untold colder then those near the surface. Most of the solar energy is absorbed in the top layer (35 to 100 m) of water. This upper layer of warmly water is very uniformed in temperature because wind and waves cause the water to pass and mix. The temperature in this layer can reach close to 82 F (28 C ) from regions close the equator. Beyond this layer the temperature drops noticeably with the depth until 800 m to1000 m. At this depth the temperature is 40 F (4.4 C ). From here the temperature changes very gradually. The colder water at these great depths is the result of melting ice in the polar regions. The colder water has a higher density than the warmer water which causes two important events. First the higher density water will sink and displace the lighter, warm water. Secondly, the rotation of the earth forces the heavier cold water to move toward the equator. Because of this, the ocean provides a large reservoir of cold and warm water that can differ in temperature of 40 to 45 F ( 22 to... ...implementation. The system is still in heavy research to exploit these costs down and also to make improvements on the system. Although the full subdue commercial size systems are not practical at this time, lowly scale experimental plant systems are being for further research. OTEC is expect to make an impact on the future. The Future of OTECOTEC is a very fire new way of energy conversion. People are skeptical astir(predicate) new and innovative ideas because of their unfamiliarity and lack ofknowledge about the idea. This holds true with OTEC. Many people are unaware of what OTEC is and the benefits that OTEC holds for the future of our Earth. Much more victimisation and research must be made to make OTEC a large scale operation and to bring the cost to consumers down. This is only going to give if people are made aware of OTEC and its many possibilities. OTEC has many environmental benefits and can produce the world s necessary energy demand for a very long time (it is after all a renewable energy source). We are quite certain that in the upcoming years OTEC will become a much more publicized topic and greater research will come about to produce a fully sized commercial plant.