Thank you for your interest in our energy health, which isn't healthy at all. Due to our overwhelming reliance on imported oil for our energy, the Aloha State is on life support. Cut that flow of oil and we'd be in economic arrest. Call it Code Red or simply critical, our condition is alarming and demands action to dramatically increase renewable energy's contribution here.
The Beauty of Base-Load
This blog is dedicated to the proposition that all forms of renewable energy are not created equal. Although we support all the alternatives, we believe ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is Hawaii's best bet to get off oil in a big way. Unlike most renewables, OTEC can provide base-load electricity generation. Hawaii is surrounded by the biggest solar collector on the planet -- the tropical ocean. We trust our visitors from around the world understand the term "no brainer." That's what OTEC is for our isolated society.
Please promote and support OTEC among your friends, government officials, legislators, environmental leaders and anyone else concerned with our dependence on fossil fuel. Scroll down for links to OTEC sites and the Blue Planet Foundation, host of last week's Blue Planet Summit.
We hope you'll be a frequent visitor to this Hawaii Energy Options site, and if you're so moved, click on Comments and leave one. We want to know what you think about getting off oil with renewable energy, including OTEC. Jonathan Cole took time to leave a comment to the April 6 post, below. You can read Jonathan's views on OTEC's possible challenges and check out his website. We've posted our response to him there. Jump right in with your own comments; the water's fine.
5 comments:
OTEC seems to be the best solution to many of Hawaii's hardships. Where can I find information specific to Hawaii as to the status of OTEC development? I don't hear anything in the news. I am curious as to who is involved or which businesses are working on OTEC.
We just started a similar blog in the Bahamas - which is another great location for OTEC.
http://www.bahamasecoforum.com/
I understand your frustration. From I was a teenager in the early nineties in Jamaica, having learnt about OTEC in Physics I could not understand the slow pace of progress in the technology. I mean, what the heck is wrong with us island people? We prefer to be held hostage to oil and co. Oil is what now $110 and rising. No, OTEC is too capital intensive they say. I hear new plans for nuclear in the US coming in at $5 per watt and greater and yet we still talk about capital intensive OTEC.
Dear Anonymous,
Try out OTEC News for news about OTEC. The OTEC work in Hawaii often shows up at our site.
Thanks everybody for your comments. I appreciate hearing from you. For the past few days I've been on Molokai, another island that could use electricity and water from an OTEC operation.
Anonymous, I think OTEC has been too expensive an alternative until this decade. Oil hit $113 per barrel today, so it shouldn't be long before we see some news about the technology finally getting over the hump. If not, I'll join you in asking "what the heck is wrong with us island people?"
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