~By Leigh Anne M. Geiter
Although I try to keep my eyes & ears open for ways to save energy and ways to upcycle previously used items into something new & of greater value, just when I think that most bases are covered, I learn something new. While looking online for potential ways to convert my home to solar energy, I came across an article entitled “OPEC or OTEC?” Obviously, we all know what OPEC is, and ANYTHING that would get our society away from making rich those who don’t particularly like us & can affect our lives & our economy is a GOOD thing, but what the heck, I wondered, was OTEC?
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is the process of converting cold ocean water into thermal energy in order to create power. Brilliant!! OTEC isn’t a pie in the sky futuristic query. There are already working plants in Hawaii (where they are even using the technology to farm raise lobster & other marine species in on-shore ponds), and in the Indian Ocean, as well as plans for two new plants in The Bahamas. So, why couldn’t we do this right here, along the US Coast? There is NO reason.
Photo Courtesy USPACIFICFLEET on Flickr Creative Commons
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