8 June 2023 — This World Ocean Day will be marked with a special celebration of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), with the launch of an educational video. In cooperation between environmentalist Kane Baker, of the George F. Baker Trust Foundation, Schoolyard Films and ocean energy company Global OTEC, the film was created to illustrate how the technology works and its relevance and advantages. The video can be seen permanently at globalotec.co/what-is-otec.
The ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, produces half of the oxygen we breathe and plays a vital role in regulating our climate. Although its undeniable relevance to our own existence, little is said when it comes to the ocean’s capacity to generate electricity with the minimum impact on nature. “In my experience in asking people about renewable resources of the planet, there is almost a 99% rate of return where almost no one knows what OTEC is”, comments Kane Baker.
By offering online and free access to educational video, the partnership expects to appeal to a wide audience, from children to adults, bringing a clear explanation of a scientific subject. “This film is helpful also for young people to get a playful fun way to look at a boring subject and see the potential for island nations that might not have a lot of money and want to protect their islands’ natural beauty”, notes Baker.
Using animation and motion graphics, this informative piece highlights how OTEC will change the energy scenery in tropical islands. Currently powered by fossil fuels, these nations also face the highest electricity costs compared to the rest of the world. OTEC surges as a great alternative for their renewable energy transition. “Every tropical island faces simultaneous challenges with electricity production, energy security and sustainably growing their economies without access to an affordable, clean source”, commented Global OTEC Founder and CEO Dan Grech.
The video highlights how OTEC can help empower, as well as power, communities, especially Small Islands Developing Countries (SIDS), such as São Tomé and Príncipe. The country is set to receive the First-Of-A-Kind commercial OTEC platform named ‘Dominique’, designed by Global OTEC. With the advancements of the project, the animation can translate to the local community the huge changes that the technology will bring in the near future. “The video is simple and equally important, because it allows us to democratise the contact with this reality, making it more popular, closer to people and their daily lives”, explains the National OTEC Coordinator in São Tomé and Príncipe, Luiselio Salvaterra Pinto.
About OTEC
OTEC is a renewable energy technology where surface warm seawater is used to vaporise a working fluid, which then drives a turbine to generate electricity. Cold deep water is used to condense the working fluid, and the cycle is then repeated. OTEC harnesses the power of the ocean to provide a continuous, cost-effective supply of clean energy, with significant environmental advantages over fossil fuels and nuclear power. It also requires less land and has the potential to produce far more useful and affordable energy than could be generated from other renewable sources. “The future of OTEC can be deployed to small and large islands and not for just electricity but also for the desalinisation of seawater, aquaculture, air conditioning including humidity drip for on-land agriculture, and to take it one step further hydrogen gas can be manufactured for the island and for export”, adds Baker.