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ABOUT US

OUR PURPOSE

Global OTEC was founded to provide clean, reliable and affordable energy for small island developing states which experience some of the highest energy costs in the world.

We have designed the first commercial Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion system to transform the energy landscape for tropical island nations. By commercialising ocean thermal energy, we aim to free Small Island Developing States and coastal cities from the need to import expensive and dirty fossil fuels and help them meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Our history / timeline

2017

 

Global OTEC was founded to help small tropical islands replace their fossil fuel power with clean, affordable energy

The Cayman Islands government provides a letter of support for the project

Four resorts in the Maldives provide letters of intent

A basis-of-design is produced

2018

 

Global OTEC receives its first grant and investment: bringing in over £250,000 of funding 

The concept design phase is completed

2019

 

The preliminary design
phase is completed

A feasibility study of
the Maldives is undertaken

Global OTEC secures
further grants and investments

Global OTEC receives a letter of support from the government of the Maldives

2020

 

Global OTEC completes a detailed design of the system’s cold-water pipeline

An agreement in principle is put in place with a large resort owner in the Maldives to demo OTEC. However, the deal is called off due to the COVID pandemic

Global OTEC pivots from designing projects for the private sector to exploring Public Private Partnerships

Global OTEC receives a letter of support
from the São Tomé & Príncipe government

2021

 

Global OTEC sign an MOU for collaboration with the Small Island Developing States Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience Organisation (SIDS DOCK), starting with a pilot project in São Tomé and Príncipe

Further grants are secured to develop hurricane-proof structures in the Caribbean.

2022


Pre-seed round closed, led by Climate.VC

Public consultation and workshop with blue economy stakeholders in São Tomé and Príncipe

Government of São Tomé and Príncipe sign an MOU for a Power Purchase Agreement with Global OTEC at the UN Ocean Conference 2022

Funding of € 3.5 million from European Union's key funding programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), for the pan-European consortium PLOTEC, which we are leading

2023

 

Awarded Certificate of Approval for the methodology of installation of a Cold-Water Riser, for the purposes of an offshore OTEC platform, by ABL Group, and granted Approval in Principle (AiP) by Lloyd’s Register (LR) for our platform

Meetings with countries such as Grenada and Turks and Caicos to explore OTEC for their power generation

Signature of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with French company ENOGIA, to develop key subsystems of the first commercial-scale OTEC floating platform.

What’s next?

To unlock the billions in energy project finance, available to conventional renewables, OTEC requires a permanent floating system to de-risk the technology. Global OTEC has a plan to achieve this while developing a bank of intellectual property so that proven designs can be licensed to independent project developers around the world.

Deployment of the first floating OTEC platform is planned for 2024 in the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. This is set to be a shining example to the rest of the world of how diesel fuel imports can be replaced with clean energy from the ocean.

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