PLOTEC brings together OTEC experts (Global OTEC Resources, abbreviated to GOR in this proposal), offshore Renewables experts (WAVEC), research infrastructure or a real environment marine test site (PLOCAN), marine engineers (GOR, CTECH and Plymouth University), plastics engineers and renewable materials experts (AGRU), Academic experts of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (Plymouth University), and EU project management expert (Quality Culture). The challenge of this project is in designing the ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) system and materials to survive extreme environmental conditions due to its intrinsic characteristics (e.g. long pipe to sea depths), the high tension forces that the riser pipe, and joints must support, as well as the corrosion and sea movement needed). The Knowledge created by this project in marine engineering design and novel materials, as well as the computational modelling will not only improve the accessibility of OTEC solutions but improve the design and materials available to other offshore floating energy and marine devices, reinforcing the transfer of knowledge acquired in the project to other ambitious renewable energy and low carbon activities.
The overall objective for the project is to design, model and install a successful demonstration of a novel cylindrical ocean thermal energy conversion OTEC platform capable of withstanding the extreme weather effects of tropical oceans, with an economically viable cost model. This project will demonstrate European leadership in sustainable, and competitive energy solutions, through the novel utilisation of materials, new designs for OTEC, and advanced modelling technologies demonstrating efficiency gains through a drop in Levelised Cost Of Energy (LCOE) to below market rate diesel costs.
Key developments of the project are:
