Making the islands totally energy-independent

Let it be understood. I have no “under the table” financial interest in coming up with a solution to the island’s electrical power problems, other than being able to afford my electric bill. I also have lived by the knowledge “that if it sounds to good to be true…then it must not be true.” That being said…

I am a licensed engineer who has the ability and experience in designing industrial projects dealing in the energy market. I have “walked the talk,” meaning that I can design what I put before you and it will work. I have looked deeply into all the known possible approaches to making islands energy independent and at this time in man’s history there really is only one approach that offers total renewable (free fuel), environmentally safe (no toxic waste), base load (24/7 electrical power) and drinking water. Sound too good to be true? I will let you decide, but this knowledge has been known for over 100 years. It has only been in the past 30 years that economical approaches have been presented and tested. There has been only one problem, though. It appears that many people think it is only available to tropical islands and not the “masses in the USA” and thus is not deemed useful and funding, by the DOE, of it dropped. It is called OTEC (ocean thermal energy conversion) Just Google “Mist Lift OTEC” and you can learn more about it. There are many pros on it and some cons. There also have been no commercial plants built either. The reason is because with many of the approaches it was too expensive for small islands. But…just as the DOE stopped considering it back in the early 80s, there came along an idea that was tested and proved to work that greatly reduced such costs. Mist Lift OTEC is that idea. Here are its advantages over the other approaches (this may be a little over some peoples heads and I’m sorry but that doesn’t make it a bad approach) To put it as simply as possible, Mist Lift OTEC is simply creating a “waterfall” in the ocean that can fall through a typical hydroelectric generator, then back into the ocean. Stuart L. Ridgway, PhD (nuclear physicist, Princeton University, 1952) put a lot of his time in coming up with this approach.

-No huge heat exchanger (This can run as high as 40 percent of the cost of OTEC plant). Let’s move that cost over to the “hull” costs and installation of mist lift, since closed cycle approach also will need a way of floating this huge heat exchanger, too. So why not just get rid of it? This can free up engineers for the hull or offshore platform and cold water supply… Either way this has to be done … saving money.

-No need for warm or cold water pumps

Since Mist Lift momentum transfers from the mist to the cold water, this will supply the kinetic energy needed to carry the deep cold water to the barometric level. This level will be several meters above sea level. Thus a waterfall in the ocean! No pumps needed! This concept is so natural and simple that it seems to have eluded the academia for more than 30 years. Could pride and arrogance be the fault? I want to make a point here: The mist lift is stable and that was proved by Ridgway. A larger test will also prove this, saving money.

-It uses conventional hydro turbine generator. Nothing new has to be designed or developed. It is already manufactured and tested!

-Mist lift requires less cold water to be brought up from the ocean. This is the most risky area to all OTEC approaches, but just on the fact that the deep water pipe will be smaller than the other approaches.

-It’s efficiency is much greater than any of the other approaches. Meaning that is will produce more net energy!

-It requires little expertise to operate and needs minimal maintenance. This is important. Not wanting to insult anyone but if we are going to present the OTEC approach to small islands or underdeveloped countries, the process has to be simple and with few moving parts. Manpower is not cheap and experienced manpower even costs more.

-It’s simple. Create a “waterfall” in the ocean that can “fall” through a hydroelectric generator then back to the ocean.

So, if anyone can present another approach that gives the same benefits and that will make the islands’ energy independent, put it before the people with facts! I have an open mind and am also looking at the remote nuclear “battery” idea even if it does not give all the benefits of OTEC. These two approaches will give power well below what it is costing us now. But the “geothermal” approach (which I also have an understanding of) has a lot more problems and costs than either OTEC or nuclear.