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Difficulty: EasyRenewable Energy and Clean Technologies

Which clean energy technology utilizes the natural temperature difference between warm surface seawater and cold deep ocean water to vaporize a working fluid and drive a turbine for electricity generation?

  1. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)Answer
  2. B
    Tidal Barrage Power Generation
  3. C
    Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy
  4. D
    Salinity Gradient Power Generation

Answer

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is the ocean energy technology that converts solar radiation absorbed by the oceans into electric power by utilizing the thermal difference between warm surface water and cold deep water.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) operates as a thermodynamic heat engine taking advantage of the temperature difference between warm ocean surface water (heated by the sun) and cold deep water pumped from lower ocean depths.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary source of energy described in the prompt
The energy source relies on the temperature difference (thermal gradient) between shallow warm sea surface layers and deep cold ocean waters.
Different ocean energy technologies convert different physical phenomena (waves, tides, thermal gradients, or osmotic pressure).
2
Correlate the physical mechanism with the proper technological term
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) requires a temperature difference of at least 20∘C20^\circ\text{C} (36∘F36^\circ\text{F}) between surface and deep waters to operate a Rankine thermodynamic cycle efficiently.
Warm surface water turns a low-boiling-point working fluid (such as ammonia) into vapor to spin a generator, while cold deep water condenses it back to liquid.

Key Concept

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) operating principle
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Topics

Renewable Energy and Clean Technologies

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