UK renewable energy developer Global OTEC has been granted approval in principle (AiP) by Lloyd’s Register (LR) for a barge to support its floating Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) system.
The 1.5MW floating unit, called Dominique, is being designed by Global OTEC and set to be installed in São Tomé and Príncipe in 2025. Global OTEC’s goal is “for tropical islands and coastal cities to be able to access cheap, clean and secure energy by replacing fossil fuels with Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion”.
🌊💡Want to know how we’re turning the ocean into a source of renewable energy? Our new explainer video about OTEC has all the answers!
— Global OTEC (@GlobalOTEC) June 9, 2023
🔛Watch now the full video and join the movement towards a sustainable future: https://t.co/K44943cu7M#OTEC #renewableenergy #GlobalOTEC pic.twitter.com/g9djJUx0PJ
The company hopes their project will provide an example of how fossil fuel imports can be replaced with baseload energy from the ocean. The technology works by using warm seawater to evaporate a low boiling point liquid to drive a turbine that produces power. Cold water from deeper in the ocean then condenses the vapour back into a liquid to repeat the cycle.
The LR AiP acknowledges that Global OTEC’s barge can meet the requirements for providing a structural basis for the OTEC system.
Spin from Global OTEC on Vimeo.
Global OTEC founder and chief executive Dan Grech said: “Building on the certificate of approval issued from marine warranty surveyor, ABL Group, we have further validation of our technically sound and reasonable approach to commercialising OTEC technology. The challenges which have stalled OTEC deployments are not insurmountable. Following excellent engineering practices, overseen by regulatory bodies, provides our customers and investors with a great deal of comfort”.
Jenny Wilson, engineering discipline team manager at Lloyd’s Register, who awarded the AiP, said: “This project fits squarely within the UN sustainable development goals of the IECRE system that LR as a Renewable Energy Certification Body (RECB) for Marine Energy fully supports. Global OTEC’s platform will offer a green alternative to fossil fuel energy with zero carbon emissions and will be a vital source of renewable electricity for developing countries.”