advancing otec to storm-prone regions

PERIOD
2022-2025
LOCATION
Europe
MILESTONES
The project started in November 2022, with the conception of designs and study of cost-effective materials for a floating cylindric hull, cold water pipe and gimbal connection point. Fabrication of elements started in March 2024 and installation is set for November 2024, being followed by a real environment test in the Atlantic Ocean.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 101083571.

DETAILS
The project aims to advance the renewable energy transition for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that are vulnerable to severe weather conditions. This will be achieved by enhancing OTEC technology with an offshore platform specifically designed to withstand intense tropical storms, hurricanes, and cyclones. Predominantly reliant on outdated diesel generators, SIDS lack clean and geographically suitable alternatives for electricity generation. With the ocean as their most abundant natural resource, OTEC emerges as an appropriate solution for power generation, especially when adapted to withstand the severe weather conditions they face.
PARTNERS
The consortium is composed of the following companies: Global OTEC (UK), Cleantech Engineering Limited (UK), WavEC Offshore Renewables (Portugal), The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands PLOCAN (Spain), Quality Culture (Italy), Agru Kunststofftechnik Gesellschaft m.b.H. (Austria) and University of Plymouth School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (UK).

PLOTEC is a pan-European consortium that is designing an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) floating prototype capable of withstanding the extreme weather effects of the tropical area of the ocean, with a viable cost model, validated by a scaled demonstration of a structure.

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Funded by the European Union’s key funding programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in the amount of €3.5m, PLOTEC consists of a consortium that connects seven organisations across Europe to design an OTEC system capable of surviving extreme environmental conditions with a viable cost model. Global OTEC is leading the project as OTEC developer.

Check the latest updates on the project

The project is an essential step for the world’s adoption of sustainable ocean energy technologies, particularly in tropical island locations that face severe weather. The project will conclude with a structural demonstration of an OTEC platform that can survive the ‘100-year storm’ based on data from the Caribbean.