Aug 2015 Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) would like to congratulate Makai Ocean Engineering on the dedication of their 100 kW Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) power plant and we are proud to support you in this achievement. On August 21st the plant came online, generates enough power for 100 homes, and is the first closed-cycle OTEC power plant delivering renewable ocean thermal power to the U.S. power grid.
Warm surface seawater is used to vaporize a working fluid which spins a turbine generator designed and manufactured by BNI. And after the working fluid passes through the turbine, cold seawater from the ocean bottom is used to condense the working fluid back into a liquid and the cycle repeats. Within five years, Makai Ocean Engineering hopes to build a 1 MW OTEC power plant which will be a significant step forward for this technology.
Since 1966 BNI has been a world leader in the design and manufacture of specialty turbomachinery. Specific products include turbines, compressors, fans, blowers, and pumps for submarines, satellites, and everything between.
