Energy. A power station at sea

As seas represent 70 per cent of the Earth surface, projects are developed to recover the solar energy they absorb. 10 MW Pilot units are announced for 2013 or 2014 and should be followed by 50 and 100 MW ocean thermal energy production offshore plants. The French company DCNS is presently studying three projects in Martinique, Reunion and Tahiti, and Lockheed Martin is working in Hawaii on such projects. These projects take advantage of the temperature difference between surface and deep waters. The main technological challenge is the design of heat exchangers which will work with only a 20 degree temperature difference, will suffer biofouling, will need a peculiar fluid, and also the design of the different equipment and hardware which will have to cope with the environment (sea water, tropical swells, hurricanes, deep water high pressures)