Abstract
1. Market-readiness of Ocean Thermal Energy Technology Ocean thermal is the only remaining vast, untapped source of renewable energy. Today the development of ocean thermal technology for commercial use is at a critical juncture, requiring a multi-megawatt proof-of-concept system demonstration. Thanks in large part to the ocean engineering innovations and experience of the offshore oil industry, much of which—such as the ability to operate in storms and to survive severe storms and hurricanes—can be spun off to ocean thermal applications, this engineering achievement has greatly reduced the real and perceived risks of investing in ocean thermal. Most of the required ocean thermal sub-systems and components are now market-ready, having reached maturity and availability. Thus the time is ripe for addressing and surmounting an initial two-step technical, economic, and financing hurdle: Step 1) Obtaining data from the successful operation of a multi-megawatt demonstration ocean thermal power plant, which is feasible by year 2015; Step 2) Using those data as a basis for designing and operating the first-of-a-kind commercial plant (~100 MWe) by year 2020, whose electricity is expected to be cost-competitive with oil-derived electricity. With production-economies, innovation, and experience from subsequent commercial power plants, there will be continuing decreases in plant capital cost. See URL http://www.boulderblueline.org/2010/10/13/ocean-thermal-energy-the-unseen-sea-opportunity/
2. Helping Achieve Global energy-security, Water-security, and Food-security The basic product of floating ocean thermal plants is baseload (continuous, 24/7) electricity. Such power plants can cable electricity to shore and can also produce copious amounts of fresh water. In the extensive ocean expanses beyond economic cable distance from shore, large fleets of grazing ocean thermal plantships (factory ships) can manufacture vast amounts of energy-carriers/fuels (such as hydrogen and ammonia), and energy-intensive products (such as ammonia for fertilizer). These products, derivable from the tremendous ocean thermal resource, can make major contributions to global energy-security, water-security, and food-security. The initial market, in the very near term, will be ocean thermal power to replace electricity that is now being derived from oil in many tropical and subtropical nations, at an oil savings of about 40 barrels per day per MWe. That early market, perhaps as large as 50,000 MWe, can yield a total global oil savings of up to 2 million barrels per day. Although ocean thermal is not a panacea, it has the potential to provide a significant portion of global energy, water, and food requirements, to help mitigate climate change, and to become one of the largest sources of renewable energy.

Biography
Robert Cohen holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Cornell University. In 1973 he left his scientific career at NOAA to join the budding U.S. renewable energy R&D program (then at NSF, later moved to the U.S. Department of Energy), where he became the program manager responsible for conducting a concerted ocean thermal energy technology-development program. From 1985 to 1990 he was a Senior Program Officer at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, where he organized studies on energy technology policy. He received the 1980 Compass Distinguished Achievement Award from the Marine Technology Society, and an Ocean Energy Pioneer Award at the EnergyOcean 2007 Conference. Currently he works pro bono to advance ocean thermal.