The Global OTEC team has decades of combined experience in designing and building floating systems for the oil and gas space, as well as developing utility projects in frontier markets.
FOUNDER & CEO
BOARD DIRECTOR
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
SENIOR ENGINEER
COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
TECHNICAL ADVISOR
TECHNICAL ADVISOR
BOARD OBSERVER
PROJECT FINANCE ADVISOR
In 2015, Dan worked as a marketing manager for a luxury fashion company. One evening, while watching ice caps cascade into the ocean during a re-run of Frozen Planet, Dan suddenly realised he needed to do something to help. He quit his job the next day to join the global effort to reverse the climate crisis.
While researching climate solutions, Dan came across Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, or OTEC. It had the potential to provide affordable, clean energy to the Small Island Developing States that urgently need it. But developers had been distracted by huge, mega-scale OTEC systems. This inspired Dan’s vision to start small and reduce tropical island nations’ reliance on fossil fuels through OTEC. Using his experience in building exceptional teams, he assembled world-class OTEC and offshore engineering professionals and launched Global OTEC in 2017. He’s been the main driver of the company’s development, forged partnerships with intergovernmental organisations, speaks regularly at UN events as an ocean energy authority.
Sam Johnston assumes overall engineering responsibility and multi-disciplinary coordination of all technical packages of the OTEC Barge. Since 2018, Sam has undertaken detailed investigations into the structural and mechanical design of OTEC platform designs to better understand their structural integrity and perfect their electricity generation process.
Sam was drawn to OTEC because of the exciting design challenges it offers. He believes the technology has the potential to provide 24-hour energy without margins on when it can be active and that he can make his mark by improving on previous developments. Sam recently carried out successful thermocline studies at a location in the Gulf of Guinea and presented the company’s findings from feasibility studies at public consultations. He is also passionate about grid-connectivity and works closely with technical experts at utility companies to help design the best solution.
James Diddams was one of the first engineers to work with Global OTEC on its floating OTEC concepts. As co-founder of Achelous Energy Ltd and former Asia-Pacific MD of London Marine Consultants, James is a specialist in offshore renewable technologies with structural engineering expertise spanning a range of marine areas. James advises on technical development of the OTEC Barge, including the vessel’s mooring systems and naval architecture.
Tim Wood is also director of Achelous Energy Ltd and a renewables-focused engineering consultancy. To date he has lead Global OTEC’s technical team in its development of a fit-for-purpose commercial product. When Tim met Dan in 2018, there was an instant synergy between Dan’s vision for OTEC and Tim’s deep experience in planning and executing floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) projects in the oil and gas space. Tim saw huge potential in the Global OTEC team’s impressive technical acumen and industry knowledge. He believes offshore engineering lessons learned over the last 50 years can be used to optimise renewable energy solutions for the benefit of tropical island communities.
Peet Denny is Founding Partner @ Climate VC.
Sital Joshi is a social entrepreneur with 20 years’ experience in resourcing and financing renewable energy projects. He has provided business plan development, commercial negotiation and fundraising advice for projects ranging from £5m to £6bn in transaction size. Sital advises Global OTEC on project structure and financing with a particular focus on bankability and commercialisation. He was part of the Global OTEC team that presented at COP26 in Glasgow where the company received several endorsements from heads of states including the Seychelles, Tonga, Belize, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Sao Tome and Principe.
