The U.S. Department of Energy's 40 MWe Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Pilot Plant Program: A Status Report

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in conjunction with the State of Hawaii and two private industrial consortia, is conducting a multi-phased, cost shared program leading to the design, construction and operation of a 40 MWe Closed Cycle Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Pilot Plant off Kahe Point, Hawaii. Phase I (Conceptual Design) will be complete in May 1983 and Phase II (Preliminary Design) is anticipated to begin in June 1983 and continue for 18 months. Subsequent phases will involve detail design (Phase III), construction, deployment and acceptance testing (Phase IV), joint operational testing (Phase V) and contractor operation (Phase VI). This paper will present a status report on the OTEC Pilot Plant Program, with particular emphasis given to the lessons learned in transferring the technology developed in a government sponsored research program to the private sector for use in a commercial application.