Comments on: Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion may have finally arrived as a serious alternative energy contender http://www.sastwingees.org/2006/05/22/ocean-thermal-energy-conversion-may-have-finally-arrived-as-a-serious-alternative-energy-contender/ Knowledge is Scrumptious Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:46:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Anonymous http://www.sastwingees.org/2006/05/22/ocean-thermal-energy-conversion-may-have-finally-arrived-as-a-serious-alternative-energy-contender/comment-page-1/#comment-187 Anonymous Fri, 16 Jun 2006 05:10:28 +0000 http://www.sastwingees.org/2006/05/22/ocean-thermal-energy-conversion-may-have-finally-arrived-as-a-serious-alternative-energy-contender/#comment-187 Thanks for the comment Ed. I need to understand more about the siphoning effect. To my understanding <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphon" rel="nofollow">Siphon</a> requires that the recipient be at a lower level than the source. That will not be the case here because the Heat exchanger is at the surface. Thanks for the comment Ed. I need to understand more about the siphoning effect. To my understanding Siphon requires that the recipient be at a lower level than the source. That will not be the case here because the Heat exchanger is at the surface.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.sastwingees.org/2006/05/22/ocean-thermal-energy-conversion-may-have-finally-arrived-as-a-serious-alternative-energy-contender/comment-page-1/#comment-186 Anonymous Thu, 15 Jun 2006 17:15:01 +0000 http://www.sastwingees.org/2006/05/22/ocean-thermal-energy-conversion-may-have-finally-arrived-as-a-serious-alternative-energy-contender/#comment-186 You seem concerned about the cost of pumping the water from depth. Why would this be a problem? The pressure at the bottom of the pipe will do most of the work. The pumps only need to overcome the friction in the pipe (which will be quite small for large diameter pipes) and the small imbalance in densities due to the lower temperature of the water being pumped relative to the warmer surface waters. If the heat exchanger is less than about 10 metres above the sea or lake's surface there will not even be a need to pump the water to that height as the syphon effect can be used instead. You seem concerned about the cost of pumping the water from depth. Why would this be a problem? The pressure at the bottom of the pipe will do most of the work.

The pumps only need to overcome the friction in the pipe (which will be quite small for large diameter pipes) and the small imbalance in densities due to the lower temperature of the water being pumped relative to the warmer surface waters.

If the heat exchanger is less than about 10 metres above the sea or lake’s surface there will not even be a need to pump the water to that height as the syphon effect can be used instead.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.sastwingees.org/2006/05/22/ocean-thermal-energy-conversion-may-have-finally-arrived-as-a-serious-alternative-energy-contender/comment-page-1/#comment-185 Anonymous Mon, 08 May 2006 05:31:58 +0000 http://www.sastwingees.org/2006/05/22/ocean-thermal-energy-conversion-may-have-finally-arrived-as-a-serious-alternative-energy-contender/#comment-185 Good point Ganesh. This whole rainwater harvesting idea mandated by the Government in Chennai has worked very well. I think the government should mandate solar enery harvesting as well and give subsidies in support of it. Something like OTEC if done well can provide AC at a low cost in coastal areas in Chennai. It will be a boon to the people living in the sweltering heat. Good point Ganesh. This whole rainwater harvesting idea mandated by the Government in Chennai has worked very well. I think the government should mandate solar enery harvesting as well and give subsidies in support of it. Something like OTEC if done well can provide AC at a low cost in coastal areas in Chennai. It will be a boon to the people living in the sweltering heat.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.sastwingees.org/2006/05/22/ocean-thermal-energy-conversion-may-have-finally-arrived-as-a-serious-alternative-energy-contender/comment-page-1/#comment-184 Anonymous Sun, 07 May 2006 07:23:49 +0000 http://www.sastwingees.org/2006/05/22/ocean-thermal-energy-conversion-may-have-finally-arrived-as-a-serious-alternative-energy-contender/#comment-184 Very interesting Sukumar. I think it is imperative for India as a developing nation, and one that boasts a huge population, to exploit such cheaper and more importantly eco-friendly energy alternatives. I believe the push for this needs to come from both bottom-up and top-down - 1. Government - providing tax and other benefits to private sector companies that use such alternat sources of energy and 2. At the grass-roots level - panchayats, seva organizations becoming aware of such alternatives and wresting the initiative to exploit it themselves. I know that certain villages have been successful in setting up gober-gas units for cooking and heating. Ganesh Very interesting Sukumar.

I think it is imperative for India as a developing nation, and one that boasts a huge population, to exploit such cheaper and more importantly eco-friendly energy alternatives.

I believe the push for this needs to come from both bottom-up and top-down -

1. Government – providing tax and other benefits to private sector companies that use such alternat sources of energy and

2. At the grass-roots level – panchayats, seva organizations becoming aware of such alternatives and wresting the initiative to exploit it themselves. I know that certain villages have been successful in setting up gober-gas units for cooking and heating.

Ganesh

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