An assessment Indonesia’s Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) as an electrical energy resource

Abstract

The primary source of Indonesian electricity still has a dependence on the availability of fossil energy, which is limited in its presence and has non-renewable properties. It is necessary for alternative energy research as a renewable source of electrical power to replace energy sources that cannot be renewed. The one of energy is ocean thermal energy conversion, in which the technology is based on the thermal energy difference between surface temperatures and deepsea water to produce electricity. The research aimed to assess the power potential generated by utilizing the vertical sea temperature in some Indonesian waters. The survey method was used to collect secondary data from the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model. The process was completed with the conversion of OTEC to produce the electric base on the model applied by Rauchenstein. This model calculated the net power production of an OTEC plant as a function of water temperature and chilled water pipe length with the potential OTEC power generated for a closed cycle power plant of 100 MW / 150 MW gross power. The study found an average temperature difference of 20 °C at a depth of ≥500 m. Based on the seasonally mean, the highest potential of power was in the Papua of 174 MW during transitional season 2. The lowest value was assessed in Southeast Sulawesi of 82.09 MW in the southeast season. The highest electricity potential for annual average has been obtained in Papua with 168.33 MW and the lowest around 97.69 MW in North Sulawesi.