The world’s first platform for generating energy from the ocean was launched near the Canary Islands
Фото: Global OTEC
The world’s first offshore platform for generating electricity from ocean temperature differences has been installed in the Canary Islands. The technology is expected to replace up to 25 GW of fossil fuel energy.
This is reported by Interesting Engineering .
A British company has completed the installation of a floating platform off the coast of the Canary Islands at the PLOCAN offshore testing site. The system is designed to continuously generate electricity from the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep water.
A key step was the installation of a vertical pipe that supplies cold water from deep below. This element is considered the most difficult in creating such offshore systems.
The PLOTEC project is implemented under the European Union’s Horizon Europe program with a budget of €3.5 million. Its goal is to move the technology from the experimental stage to commercial use.
The technology works by heating a working fluid with warm water, creating steam to turn a turbine, after which cold water condenses the steam back into a liquid. This allows for continuous electricity generation.
Placing the installation directly in the ocean reduces the length of the pipes by about 80%, making the system more efficient and scalable.
The company notes that this technology could become an alternative for island regions that depend on fuel imports. It is capable of providing stable base load regardless of weather conditions.
“This is the moment when technology moves out of controlled environments and into the real world,” said Global OTEC founder and CEO Dan Grech.
He added that offshore systems allow for the scaling of electricity production and the transformation of the technology into a full-fledged baseload generation source.
The next stage will be the launch of a power module in Hawaii, where the company plans to prove the system’s ability to provide a stable 24/7 power supply.
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