Question

What is OTEC? How does it work? [3 MARKS]

Answer 1

Each point: 1 Mark

1. OTEC stands for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion.The water at the surface of the sea or ocean is heated by the Sun while the water in deeper sections is relatively cold.This difference in temperature is exploited to obtain energy in ocean-thermal-energy conversion plants.
2. These plants can operate if the temperature difference between the water at the surface and water at depths up to 2 km is 293 K (20°C) or more.
3. The warm surface-water is used to boil a volatile liquid like ammonia.The vapours of the liquid are then used to run the turbine of generator.