Otec aff/neg otec aff
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- OTEC has commercial value and development currently and is useable
- The technology is ready- commercialization key to solve
- OTEC has empirically been proven to work- only more funding is needed to sustain development
CommercializesGovernment support key to legitimizing investment in OTECFriedman 6 [Becca Friedman “Examining the future of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion: An Alternative Source Heats Up” Febuary 26th 2006 http://hprsite.squarespace.com/an-alternative-source-heats-up/] Although it may seem like an environmentalist’s fantasy, experts in oceanic energy contend that the technology to provide a truly infinite source of power to the United States already exists in the form of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). Despite enthusiastic projections and promising prototypes, however, a lack of governmental support and the need for risky capital investment have stalled OTEC in its research and development phase. OTEC has commercial value and development currently and is useableMartí et al 2010[ José A. is president of Offshore Infrastructure Associates, with offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Scotch Plains, New Jersey. He is a licensed professional engineer and planner, a diplomate of the American Academies of Environmental and Water Resources Engineers and has more than 30 years of experience.. Manuel A.J. Laboy is vice president and director of Offshore Infrastructure Associates. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s of business administration, and he is a licensed professional engineer. He has extensive experience in process design, construction and plant operations. Dr. Orlando E. Ruiz is an assistant professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and a director of Offshore Infrastructure Associates. He received a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and also completed the General Electric Edison Engineering Development Program. He has worked with aerospace and computer companies and maintains a consulting practice. Commercial Implementation Of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Using the Ocean for Commercial Generation Of Baseload Renewable Energy and Potable Water https://www.sea-technology.com/features/2010/0410/thermal_energy_conversion.html Commercial Implementation When OTEC is compared to other energy technologies, three basic aspects must be considered. One is capacity factor. OTEC generates power continuously, with an estimated capacity factor of 85 percent or more, comparable only to combustibles and nuclear power. Capacity factors of other renewable technologies are typically in the 25 to 40 percent range. Even conventional hydropower seldom has capacity factors of more than 60 percent, due to flow variations. The second important aspect is that OTEC does not require any fuel. Energy is generated from purely local sources. This makes it attractive to locations that depend on imported fuels, which are highly vulnerable to volatility in prices and to events affecting world energy markets. The third important aspect is environmental. OTEC does not generate emissions of conventional air pollutants, uses no nuclear materials, does not generate solid or toxic wastes and produces effluents similar to the water it receives. The environmental impacts of OTEC are much lower than those of most technologies capable of baseload power generation. The overall impact of these aspects is that OTEC is a realistic option for many locations that presently rely on fossil fuels for their energy needs. Still, for the technology to be commercially viable, plant output must be sold at prices that will cover costs and provide a reasonable return to investors. Economic viability is the key to OTEC commercialization. Commercial viability depends on a number of conditions. First, technologies capable of producing baseline power at a lower cost than OTEC must not be available in the proposed location. In addition, the thermal resource must be present on a continuous basis (i.e., the temperature gradient must be equal to or greater than 20° C throughout the year) and located relatively close to shore. Finally, there must be a market for the output of the plant. These conditions occur in developed locations that presently consume large amounts of power from fossil fuels, such as Puerto Rico and Hawaii, and also in other locations, such as smaller Caribbean and Pacific islands. OIA estimates that power from an OTEC plant can be sold to consumers at $0.18 per kilowatt-hour or less. More importantly, the price will be stable. For comparison purposes, the average price of electricity in Hawaii in October 2009 was $0.2357 per kilowatt-hour, and it had reached levels as high as $0.3228 per kilowatt-hour the previous October due to record high oil prices in the preceding months. In locations such as smaller Caribbean or Pacific islands that presently use small diesel plants for power—and that rely on desalination for potable water production—the economics of OTEC are even more attractive. If renewable energy credits or other incentives are available, the economics of OTEC could be even more favorable in these areas and perhaps beyond. In addition, there would be significant benefits to the environment, since the air pollutants and greenhouse gases resulting from fuel combustion would not occur. The technology is ready- commercialization key to solveNai-kuang 5 [Liang Nai-kuang Taipei Times “Let's tap the power of the sea for our electricity” Sunday, Aug 28, 2005, http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2005/08/28/2003269492] The technologies required by ocean thermal energy conversion already exist, and they only have to be adopted for ocean use. The ocean environment, however, is special, and research power plants are small in scale, so the cost of current facilities remains far higher than for other types of power plants. OTEC power plants, however, do not require fuel, nor do they produce pollution. In a long term perspective, fuel prices are bound to go up and environmental pressures will also increase. If the technology involved is improved, commercial OTEC power plants will become the trend of the future; but only by commercialization will OTEC succeed. Preliminarily, the government could provide appropriate funds which businesses could apply for by submitting plans to develop and introduce individual essential technologies, while pilot plants only would be built when the time is ripe. Businesses would be guaranteed their operational rights. Because auxiliary funds would be required, businesses should make cautious estimates and do everything they can to overcome any problems. OTEC has empirically been proven to work- only more funding is needed to sustain developmentThe Honolulu Advertiser 6 [“OTEC’S future has roadblocks”, 3-31-06, Letters and Commentary, lexis, KAPUSTINA] A second proven type of OTEC system was not mentioned in the letter. In an open-cycle OTEC, warm surface-level ocean water is boiled to steam using a large vacuum chamber. A large pipe to bring up cold, nutrient-rich ocean water is still needed to provide the temperature difference that allows electrical energy production. The Natural Energy Lab of Hawai'i Authority has not expanded into electrical production because of a relatively small budget and the lack of a large deep-ocean-source pipe for the larger volumes of very cold ocean water needed. A French experiment in the 1950s in Africa made the local fishermen very happy, as a multiplication of their fish population - spurred on by the continuous discharge of the slightly warmed, nutrient-rich deep-ocean water nearby - was an unintended surprise. Once we really do get serious about open-cycle OTEC again, we could also make use of the huge volumes of distilled seawater that would be produced as a byproduct. Our federal and state governments should do much more to support this important technology, which has the potential to help feed our world while providing needed electrical power, as well as a new type of cold-water-based air-conditioning (now being planned for downtown Honolulu). If OTEC finally gets realistic funding, it will begin to reverse the global warming trend that generated some really nasty, city-destroying hurricanes last year and too much rain recently. 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