Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) power plants will provide a means of harvesting an enormous source of energy in the tropical oceans. Where sites are limited for power to be transmitted by cable as electricity, conversion of the electric power to hydrogen bearing materials provides a very wide dispersion of the OTEC energy resource to consumers. The heightened interest and significant advances in fuel cells makes a linkage of solar ocean thermal energy via the hydrogen carrier extremely promising. Hydrogen could either be liquified or in a chemical carrier such as ammonia for convenient tanker transportation. This paper discusses recent advances in fuel cell technology and development that greatly enhances the OTEC-hydrogen-fuel cell mode of energy utilization. The replacement of petroleum fueled peak-load generators with fuel cells is shown to be a near term opportunity that would bring introduction of this mode of power generation into wide usage. The technology and aconomics of the OTEC supplied hydrogen to fuel cells is discussed and shown to be very attractive. The dimensions of this opportunity are so vast that a great deal of attention and some excitement is growing in the U.S. Specific examples of the growing interest and possible future courses of development are presented. It is concluded that the OTEC-to-hydrogen fuel cell mode of energy supply offers one of the most exciting prospects for early utilization of solar energy on a wide scale. (Puschmann)


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    Title :

    Otec to hydrogen fuel cells - a solar energy breakthrough


    Additional title:

    Nutzung der Meereswaerme fuer Brennstoffzellen - ein Durchbruch bei der Nutzung der Sonnenenergie


    Contributors:
    Roney, J.R. (author)


    Publication date :

    1980


    Size :

    11 Seiten, 3 Bilder, 11 Quellen


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English





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