Storm-resilient OTEC hull nears completion, setting the stage for Atlantic Ocean testing

Seven European partners have entered the final stages in the hull construction of the storm-resistant ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) prototype at Hidramar Shipyard in Gran Canaria, Spain.

Developed under the EU-funded project PLOTEC, the initiative is now progressing towards the installation phase in the Atlantic Ocean, where the structure will undergo testing in a relevant environment.

Global OTEC’s crew is completing the final welds on the exterior of the hull ahead of sandblasting. The roof installation is already complete. Chains, crucial for secure deployment of the hull, have arrived in Las Palmas, with additional chains en route to the PLOCAN test site. The pre-installation work is set to ensure a smooth connection to the vessel, Global OTEC said.

Once installed, the vessel will be positioned approximately three kilometers off the coast. Data collection will commence, utilizing sensors and tracking devices to assess OTEC’s potential in storm-prone regions. According to Global OTEC, the learnings are important to advance the resilience and cost-effectiveness of OTEC structures to power the tropics.

“After the installation phase, we will be taking sensor readings off the vessel and GPRS readings off the vessel to see how it’s responding in the water. From that data, we can determine how it compares against the computational models and see how it performs,” said Global OTEC’s Lead Engineer, Sam Johnston. 

The EU-backed project, which began fabrication in March, is dedicated to supporting the renewable energy transition in small island developing states (SIDS) that are known for severe weather conditions. 

The PLOTEC consortium includes Global OTEC (UK), Cleantech Engineering (UK), WavEC Offshore Renewables (Portugal), The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands PLOCAN (Spain), Quality Culture (Italy), Agru Kunststofftechnik Gesellschaft (Austria) and University of Plymouth School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (UK). 

In June, the project’s partners reached the midway point of the construction of the OTEC prototype. 

Horizon Europe and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) awarded €3.5 million for the project in December 2022.