The hydrogen economy of 2050: OTEC driven?

A technical and economic model of numerous future Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion plants serviced by shuttle tankers was compared with other future energy sources described by U.S. Dept of Energy´s Hydrogen Economy documents. OTEC is more expensive than coal or nuclear power sources, but is comparable to land-based renewable energy sources. The system´s high capacity factor, land-use avoidance and reasonable technical risk mean that OTEC could be an attractive future energy source if a hydrogen economy develops. An intermediate step using OTEC hydrogen to replace imported ammonia is also considered and may be cost-competitive soon.