CONTENTS
Parallel to OTEC studies of the early 1980's, other uses of cold deep ocean water (DOW) were being considered. A 12" pipe had been installed at the NELHA to provide an onshore supply of DOW. The first new use was for two land-based DOW aquaculture projects. These aquaculture experiments featuring salmon, trout and nori were of small cost and of relatively short duration. However, this work quickly established the possibilities of cold, pure, nutrient rich DOW for aquatic production. With these developments the stage was set for a new type of Blue (DOW) Revolution and DOW research and commercial aquacultural enterprises began to proliferate at NELHA. With the growth of these enterprises, mostly working with tight budgets, another important use of DOW emerged -- air conditioning. Subsequent feasibility studies have shown that the cost and energy savings of using DOW for air conditioning and industrial cooling can be phenomenal.2
In March 1990, a study was published which had been jointly conducted by the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Sandia National Laboratories and the Solar Energy Research Institute. This study was titled "The Potential of Renewable Energy."3 The Inter-laboratory Group noted that the R&D accomplishments in Deep Ocean Water technologies starting with Mini-OTEC in the mid-1970's and extending into the late 1980's had advanced to the point that both open and closed cycle OTEC were 'technically feasible'. While much remained to be done on scale-up, operation, reliability, materials and performance uncertainties, the study group concluded that no major breakthroughs were needed to successfully apply this technology.
In a parallel economic analysis, the Group predicted OTEC would become competitive in 4 markets over 5 to 10 years: First, small island nations in the South Pacific or Molokai using small (1 MW) OTEC; Second, territories such as Guam and American Samoa using 10 MW plants; Third, some Hawaiian Islands with 50 MW or larger plants; Fourth, floating OTEC plants and large floating plantships. Indeed they saw Pacific and Asian islands offering a large market for 1 MW to 100 MW OTEC plants. Without major breakthroughs but with intensified R&D, at least 350 MW could be provided by OTEC by year 2010. They visualized that to increase to 2100 MW by year 2030. Production of methanol and hydrogen for transportation could raise this by a factor of five to the 10 GW range. However, a six fold increase in R&D expenditure over the decade was needed to achieve this level of development and technology application,
Requirements were noted as follows:
The first 5 years (1990-1995):
2) innovative turbines for the open-cycle OTEC to increase power level from 2.5 MW to 25 MW,
3) continued work on cold water pipes, materials and deeply submerged pumps, and
4) innovative power cycles such as mist life and thermoelectric. Following the successful completion of items 1-3 design, the plan was to construct and operate a land-based 1-MW open-cycle OTEC facility with a second stage desalination plant.
2) the design, construction, and operation of a 5-MW closed-cycle OTEC plantship.
Meanwhile, still more DOW applications were emerging, including a new form of agriculture. Black plastic irrigation pipe is embedded in soil at root depth. Cold seawater is pumped through these pipes to chill the ground and to induce condensate to irrigate the plants. Dr. John P. Craven was key in this development. He had, as Marine Affairs Coordinator for the State of Hawaii, been instrumental in the establishment of NELH, was it's president and director and had been, in large part, responsible for the successful Mini-OTEC experiment and the laying of the pipe to provide the onshore supply of DOW. Based on earlier success in growing a few Oregon strawberries in soil cooled by pipes at NELH in 1990, Dr. Craven, (now retired) rented space at NELH (now NELHA), imported topsoil and established a larger DOW strawberry plot. This, later became a cooperative garden, and is now the site of the Common Heritage Corporation's (CHC)4 demonstration garden and part of an ongoing showcase of DOW systems applicable to the developing world.
To date Dr. Craven and his gardeners5 have produced abundant evidence that this is a Green Revolution, which can transform the coastal deserts with adjacent DOW in tropical, subtropical and even warmer temperate areas; Almost any temperate climate crop can be grown. Over 100 such crops have been produced; The combination of cool soil and tropical sunshine can accelerate growth, sugar content and, to a degree, even offset the impact of length of day on plants. Condensation produced on the cool soil can produce most of the water needed. There is no runoff! By turning off the DOW for a period, plants can be made dormant. With the restoration of the cool root environment, dormancy is broken. This was demonstrated conclusively with a pear tree that was induced to blossom and fruit 4 times in what would normally be a single season. During this process the tree retained the previous cycle's fruit when the cool water was restored. The crops have been grown with organic gardening techniques and with materials and implements available in 3rd world countries.
To meet the need for supplemental fresh water on coastal deserts, Dr. Craven invented the Hurricane Tower (now patented). This DOW rain-maker is based on the same principles as a hurricane. Proof of concept has been established and more extensive tests are under way. CHC has also added a DOW chilled building to its demonstration facility. This Chill House, made from a 40' container, provides for cool, short term storage of agricultural and aquacultural produce. When the DOW system components (fresh water production, air-conditioning, produce cooling, agriculture and aquaculture) are linked sequentially, this becomes a very cost effective process.
The CHC 3rd World DOW System
Demonstration Center now features each of these system components to illustrate
that the techniques and technologies are available for a DOW Blue Green
Revolution which can enhance the quality of life of millions. "The wilderness
and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice
and blossom as the rose."6
CHC suggests a basic DOW system for desert island communities consisting of technologies which are now available. This system consists of a) two 24 inch diameter pipes (and pumps) for DOW recovery and distribution. This system features sequential use of DOW for air conditioning and industrial cooling, fresh water production, agriculture and aquaculture. This basic CHC system could be installed in most locations for between $5,000,000 and $10,000.000. The greatest cost uncertainty at any site, is in bringing the DOW on shore (through the surf zone). The components for these systems have been developed and used at NELHA, some for more than 20 years.
Actual system costs will depend on the emphasis given to the various system components and the location. For example, costs of setting up for DOW agriculture would depend on the availability of low- lying ground and existence of or lack of soil. CHC experience is at Keahole Point Hawaii where no soil exists and the first soil was imported. Soil is now manufactured very simply by combining compost and rock dust, and a few other simple low cost ingredients. No commercial chemical fertilizers are used. In either case, there would be an initial outlay for piping to install in the soil. Standard PVC or other irrigation pipes, once installed and protected from the sun by soil can be expected to last many years. The DOW itself should be relatively inexpensive. DOW water charges to tenants at NELHA, based on depreciation of the installation (pipes, pumps and delivery system) are nine cents per thousand gallons. Used in a sequential flow through a system, cost of DOW is almost insignificant.
Further studies are needed concerning standard requirements for various applications in representative locations. Experience to date indicates that because of the expected low costs of DOW, the ability to use inexpensive materials and the several sequential uses to which DOW can be put, in most cases, product and use values will significantly exceed investment requirements for the basic CHC system. The economics of aquaculture production will depend on location and marketability of the products grown. A number of commercial operations currently exist at NELHA. These can serve as prototypes for future operations. Experience with DOW agriculture to date is confined to CHC. However, CHC is ready to provide training both at NELHA and in the field.
Altogether, available evidence indicates that the CHC Basic DOW System will be economical in most locations at the present level of technology development. With proliferation of such systems, experience, ensuing innovation, growth of infrastructure and/or volume production, costs of operation of these systems will decrease dramatically.
CHC does not recommend OTEC
at this time but rather suggests space be reserved to install an OTEC
plant when the technology is adequately tested and other conditions are
right. Open Cycle OTEC does not appear suitable
for land-based operations. Closed Cycle OTEC appears to be more promising.
A 1 MW Closed Cycle plant is under construction at NELHA.
2. RESORTS
For a resort in a tropical desert (3rd world or developed country), the major focus would be air conditioning and possibly fresh water production. Van Ryzin's studies have shown that where large amounts of air conditioning is needed (e.g. hotels), investment costs can be recovered in 2-5 years. The cooling capacity of DOW can replace up to 10 times the energy requirement for cooling by conventional means.7 The return flow of the DOW water passing by the air conditioning (hot for cold) heat exchangers would allow cheap attractive landscaping of either temperate or tropical plants with most, if not all, of the irrigation water provided from the condensate on cool soil or from condensate captured from the heat exchangers. The return flows of DOW can be used in agriculture and/or aquaculture.
A situation calling for large
amounts of industrial cooling, e.g., for agriculture produce, would realize
similar economies and payback periods. Industrial cooling for mining operations
at sea would probably show even greater economies than land based tourist
or industrial complexes due to the short distance to deep ocean water and
without the costs associated with bringing the DOW on shore.
3. PLATFORMS
Visionaries speculate on a future with a large number of OTEC plant ships producing up to 1000 megawatts of electricity with major environmental and economic benefits arising from the return flows (artificial upwellings) which could cool several miles of nearby ocean. These plant ships would be capable of supporting: floating industrial platforms for refining and processing sea bed ores and converting biomass feedstock into green chemicals and biofuels; casino-resort-marine entertainment complexes; marine utilities; military peace-keeping stations and marine cities. The artificial upwellings could support fisheries and marine biomass plantations; theme parks (associated with the marine resorts); controlled production of living resources in atolls8 and in critical areas weaken, divert or prevent hurricanes and typhoons.9 The problem, of course, is that the R&D work called for in the 1990 Interlaboratory report is still needed.
On the other hand ocean platforms
and ocean mining complexes or even floating resorts do not need to await
future development and testing of OTEC for advantageous use of DOW. The
full range of other DOW system applications can be made available as needed
through use of 'fabric' or rigid DOW pipes. Essentially all cooling and
fresh water requirements of these facilities (personnel and equipment)
can be met at a very small fraction of the costs with existing technologies.
This use alone would quickly repay the costs of investment in terms of
savings in use of conventional energy. It would also leave much residual
cooling capacity to use for raising high cost herbs and fresh vegetables
and other 'quality of life' amenities, and finally, ample supplies of cold,
pure nutrient rich water for fresh fish and sea vegetable production. In
such a situation OTEC would be an expensive and unnecessary addition at
this time for many applications.
The problem seems to be primarily one of informing and convincing the people who make the decisions and who could support these developments that the benefits are there, technologies are ready and the economics make sense. This section will look more closely at this problem.
1. Informing the people
Martin Brown, a member of the IOA (the International Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion/Deep Ocean Water Applications (DOWA)Association, noted the absence of representatives of "companies such as Shell, British Petroleum, Exxon, Power and Water Utilities, Venture Capitalists, etc.," at the group's international conferences. He suggests OTEC/DOWA believers have been preaching to the choir, "..The vast majority of the general public, including politicians have never heard about OTEC. Even those who vaguely understand OTEC seem to think it is a complicated process that is nowhere near being economic.."10 He asserts, "the key factor is, publicity, publicity and more publicity."11
CHC has attempted to advance DOW use both in terms of developing new uses for the resources and in informing the public. Although neither NELHA nor the state of Hawaii has strongly promoted DOW systems, they have been open and ready to share this 'intellectual' property. CHC has worked actively to disseminate information as it has become available. CHC also encourages interested parties to visit its 3rd World DOW Systems Demonstration site. This site is the only location in the world where DOW agriculture and several other applications can be observed by the public.
CHC also presents an outstanding CHC web page12 for chronicling developments. There have also been many newspaper and magazine articles featuring the CHC demonstrate site and NELHA.13 A Cold AG Workshop was held in 1992 targeting agricultural business.14 The British Broadcasting Company recently featured the CHC demonstration site as, "The Blooming Desert" on Tomorrow's World.15 CHC has cooperated with video production companies to produce future shows for U.S. and Canadian Television. CHC has established communication with and visited and hosted representatives from Haiti and Curacao, prime locations for DOW systems. CHC features an annual open house and seminar featuring the Blue Green Revolution.
CHC outreach has been effective to the degree that most of the current serious OTEC/DOW studies and proposals (by IOA membership and others) now include the applications developed and demonstrated at CHC and/or NELHA. Two recent examples include:
2. Obtaining Resources to install DOW Systems
Brown suggests, "With public support (by both the science and financial community) it is much easier to obtain project funding from both state and private sources ... "18 The OTEC/DOWA concept has had little support or show of interest from the marine science and technology community at large, in and out of academia. Several explanations are possible: This is a relatively simple technology and the ocean science community, particularly academia is more interested in esoteric oceanic puzzles. Agriculture scientists have also opted to stay within the safe bounds of the conventional agricultural science paradigm. Nor has agriculture business looked seriously at the options for using virtually unlimited low cost cooling for industrial research or to offset expensive cold storage.
From financiers, the prevalent attitude appears to be indifference. One reason, of course, is that most candidate areas are on island or continental coastal deserts. These areas are at best marginal and the people who inhabit these areas have traditionally eked out only a marginal living. The areas are usually remote and without modern infrastructure.
CHC has attempted to test the interest of individuals, foundations, and in some cases large U.S. companies operating in the international sphere. The foundations usually have their areas for endowment well defined and tend to move very slowly in new directions. Large companies, operating in the international arena, choose their 'give back to society' projects with an eye to favorable publicity, payback to past political supporters, future political support, and of course future contracts.
Beyond the economics there appears to be a basic reluctance on the part of all these parties to be the first to pick up an innovation. In Machiavelli's words: "There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in introduction of a new order of things, because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new."19
The developed world governments, once the benefactors of many of the tropical and subtropical island communities, withdrew much of their infrastructure and development support in the 1980s and now show little interest in providing economic development assistance unless they still have a vested interest, e.g., the United Kingdom. The 1997 U.K. Marine Technology Energy Foresight Program (UK Report) report suggests, "OTEC has relevance to the UK since this country still has a number of dependencies in the Caribbean, Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. This has become of increasing importance since the ratifying of the Sea Convention..This entitles island nations to large Exclusive Economic Zones."20 The UK report suggests it would be in the interests of the British government to provide funding for a demonstration project on a British dependency on the basis that, "OTEC technologies have been developed to the stage where they need assistance with demonstrator projects. Such projects are aimed either at initial proof of concept, or at proving that the current state of technology is commercially viable and obtaining a good understanding for realistic construction costs."21 France and the Netherlands have similar interests. Certainly it would be in the United States interest to fund such a project on the U.S. Affiliated Islands in the Pacific. Such a demonstration project would do much toward removing some of doubts of cautious capitalists.
Economic feasibility studies,
for a representative basic DOW system, would be useful to convince the
timid. This would include site costs and installation of the basic components
to deliver DOW and surface water, for fresh water production, for cooling
for people, equipment and produce, preparation of soil for DOW agriculture
production, aquaculture pipes, ponds, etc. Additional economic studies
would then be needed to test representative DOW production systems, product
mixes and prices. When actual sites are selected for development, the prices,
costs, crops, etc., of interest for that location could be inserted.
In summary, coastal desert communities seem to be largely on their own in finding solutions to financing DOW systems. It would appear that the best short run strategy to encourage the proliferation and use of DOW systems is to:
2) encourage visits to the CHC web site, NELHA and the CHC demonstration center,
3) work with interested parties to define the best systems to serve their short and longer term interests,
4) study and determine the possibilities for local financing and capital from outside interests who are trying to gain access to EEZ resources, sites for resorts, and other local resources to serve their political and economic ends, and
5) help coastal desert communities develop and aggressively pursue a DOW resource development plan.
