Environmental programs for ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC)
The environmental research effort in support of the US Department of Energy's Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) program has the goal of providing documented information on the effect of proposed operations on the ocean and the effect of oceanic conditions on the plant. The associated environment program consists of archival studies in potential areas serial oceanographic cruises to sites or regions of interest, studies from various fixed platforms at sites, and compilation of such information for appropriate legal compliance and permit requirements and for use in progressive design of OTEC plants. Site/regions investigated are south of Mobile and west of Tampa, Gulf of Mexico; Punta Tuna, Puerto Rico; St. Croix, Virgin Islands; Kahe Point, Oahu and Keahole Point, Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands; and off the Brazilian south Equatorial Coast. Four classes of environmental concerns identified are: redistribution of oceanic properties (ocean water mixing, impingement/entrainment etc.); chemical pollution (biocides, working fluid leaks, etc.); structural effects (artificial reef, aggregation, nesting/migration, etc.); socio-legal-economic (worker safety, enviromaritime law, etc.).
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 6277730
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-12977; CONF-810911-2; ON: DE81028876
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Oceans 1981 conference, Boston, MA, USA, 16 Sep 1981
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
AGGLOMERATION
BRAZIL
ENTRAINMENT
GULF OF MEXICO
HAWAII
IMPINGEMENT
MIGRATION
MIXING
PUERTO RICO
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SEAWATER
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
VIRGIN ISLANDS
WATER POLLUTION
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
CONVERSION
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ENERGY CONVERSION
GREATER ANTILLES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
ISLANDS
LATIN AMERICA
LESSER ANTILLES
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
SEAS
SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION
SOUTH AMERICA
SURFACE WATERS
USA
WATER
WESTERN REGION
140800* - Solar Energy- Ocean Energy Systems
140400 - Solar Energy- Environmental Aspects
520500 - Environment
Aquatic- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)