Nova Southeastern University NSUWorks The TEO C Liaison NSU Digital Collections 1-1-1979 Volume 3, Number 1 (January 1979) The TEO C Liaison Follow this and additional works at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/nsudigital_otec-liaison Part of the Energy Policy Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Oceanography Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons, Science and Technology Studies Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons NSUWorks Citation The TEO C Liaison, "Volume 3, Number 1 (January 1979)" (1979). The OTEC Liaison. 17. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/nsudigital_otec-liaison/17 This Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by the NSU Digital Collections at NSUWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in The OTEC Liaison by an authorized administrator of NSUWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER ENGAGED AS LIAISON FOR THE COMMUNITY OF OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION DOE's OTEC Integration Meeting Held in Washington The OTEC Integration Meeting called For Bill Richards, new chief of DOE's by the Department of Energy and hosted Ocean §ystems Branch, who called the by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics lab meeting, it was a good short course on January 23rd through 25th in Washington OTEC and a chance to tell OTEC contrac­ seemed to serve its purpose well. tors of his management strategy (see the For the first time ever - and in what Richards interview in this issue). And, it may turn into an annual event - each of gave OTEC contractors a chance to press the contractors involved in government­ the flesh and get in a word or two with funded work on Ocean Thermal Energy Richards in the hallways, keeping him lit­ Conversion was able to tell and hear of the erally spinning from one conversation to scientific, engineering, and institutional re­ another. search projects that; when integrated, will Some 60 presentations of a hardware make OTEC work in a commercial sense. and software nature were given by as many The value of the meeting was perhaps people to a larger audience that included best stated by C. R. Schaeffner of Global at least one representative of an interested Marine Development, Project Manager for utility. All DOE program managers were USSR INITIATES RESEARCH the OTEC -1 program. Schaeffner told present and participated to some extent. IN OCEAN ENERGY AND OTEC The OTEC Liaison that the chance to hear While many of the speakers indicated of all the work is particularly valuable to that there are no apparent scientific bar­ It has been known for some time that him at this time because, unless things are riers to OTEC, and that the highest hurdles Russia has been watching the development incorporated into the design of OTEC-1 will probably be institutional and eco­ of ocean energy in general and OTEC in within the next six months, they'll be lost nomic, some progress is being made there particular, and rumored that some studies to the first ocean tests that are intended to as well. are underway. Now a letter received by demonstrate the feasibility of the OTEC For instance Byron Wash om reported the editor of TO l advises that the lab­ concept. "When we get that platform in that Fairchild Industries' attempts to work oratory of Ocean Phase and Energy Con­ the water," Schaeffner explained, "all eyes with Hawaii and Florida utilities to realize version has been established as part of the will be on us-and we can't afford to miss market potential for OTEC may soon be Pacific Oceanological Institute in Vladi­ anything." (continued on Page 2) vostok headed by Dr. Victor A. Akulichev, Deputy Director of the Institute. Dr. Akulichev also advises TOl that he is a convener of the Symposium "on the study of the thermal and hydrodynamic energy resources of the ocean" to be held September 5th, 1979 as part of the XIVth Pacific Science Congress in Khabarovsk, USSR. The OlEC Liaison TOl will bring readers more details of OTEC research in the USSR as it becomes available. VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1 January 1979 Sealift Command; and John S. Pottinger. Fleet Superintendent, Department of Com· THE NAVY TANKER CHEPACHET will become the first floating test platform in DOE's merce, Maritime Administration. The revamped Chepachet will be anchored off the ocean thermal energy conversion program. Signing papers for DOE to take custody cost of Hawaii. Global Marine will take about 18 months to turn the vessel into a of the ship from the mothball reserve fleet in Suisun Bay, California, are (I-r) George floating power plant. The Chepachet will carry a one-megawatt generator for testing W. Phillips, Jr., Vice President of Global Marine Development, Inc. which will convert and may later add a 40-megawatt generator. The project is headed by James the vessel under a $25 million DOE contract; Jack Blasy, Acting Deputy Manager for Hartman, director of DOE's OTEC-I (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) Project Of­ DOE's San Francisco Operations Office; Capt. M. H. Lasell, Navy Department, Military fice at Canoga, Park Calif. (LBL Photos) I DOE'S OTEC OBJECTIVES TOL INTERVIEWS DOE'S AND STATUS CONFERENCE BILL RICHARDS The OTEC Liaison HELD IN WASHINGTON Bill Richards, new chief of DOE's Ocean AN INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER (continued from Page 1) ENGAGED AS LIAISON FOR THE Systems Branch, describes himself as a expandoo to the Guam Power Authority COMMUNITY OF OCEAN THERMAL "bug on management". Beyond that, he's and the Government of the Northern Mari­ ENERGY CONVERSION out to end run US dependence on foreign anas-by request of those governments. fuels. VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1 While some pointed out that top-level Just how might Richards' image of him­ January 1979 management in utilities is beginning to self ultimately affect the community of listen more seriously to OTEC proponents, OTEC contractors? others warned that OTEC must make sense EDITOR/ PUBLISHER Well, for starters, Richards seems intent to the fuel planner to have any commer­ Richard Arlen Meyer on focusing his energies on developing a cial future. domestic fuel source that doesn't just Cost and performance parameters will TYPESETTER promise, but delivers. His message to OTEC be coming in over the next few years, and AND COPY EDITOR contractors is to prove the concept - from in most cases OTEC will be competing with Shelly Treshansky science through engineering to marketing future energy sources that still have some - in a systematic way the political system scientific problems to be resolved. That can absorb. ART DIRECTOR may give it an edge. But, warned Mitre's Pamela Greenfield In his attempt to give a badly-needed W. Jacobsen, OTEC contractors need to focus to the program, and to define a com­ take care at each step along the way to BUSINESS MANAGER mercialization purpose for federal dollars development. He fears that the OTEC com­ Robert Bernstein spent, he is challenging federal OTEC con­ munity is going to have only one chance to tractors to the following tasks: prove the merits of the process. If s~me­ - Enumerate what is definitely known. SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER thing goes wrong, Jacobsen emphaSized, Kathleen Guido - Enumerate what is definitely not "fusion could be a very serious competitor known. in the early 2000 time frame". The OTEC Liaison is published monthl y by - Prioritize the unknowns according to But, as Global Marine's Schaeffner and Popular Products Inc., 1910 North Elston, possible impact on the next decision. several of his colleagues pointed out, meet­ Chicago, Illinois 60622, USA , (312) 489- - State the minimal essential knowledge 5900. Copyright 1979 by Popular Prod­ ings such as this OTEC status conference required prior to making the next decision. ucts, Inc., Chicago, Illinois. All ri ghts re­ should help keep everybody on the ball. - Recommend how to go from what we served. Contents of this newsletter may know to the minimum-essential-knowledge not be reproduced either in whole or in • point in terms of time, manpower resources, TEN OTEC RESEARCHERS part without permission. Printed in USA. and dollars. LOST AT SEA OFF HAWAII Unsolicited manuscripts must be accom­ Richards says that once he has that input panied by a stamped self-addressed enve­ from OTEC contractors, he'll have the am ­ In mid-December the research vessel lope for return. The OTEC Liaison w i~l .not munition he needs to move the program up Holo Holo disappeared off Hawaii. The assume responsibility for any unsolicited the priority-issues ladder. And, he'll have 96-foot steel-hulled vessel, chartered by manuscripts or photographs. The OTEC the basis for showing what the dollar costs the University of Hawaii to conduct OTEC Li aison will not assume responsibility for of delivering the energy capability are. experiments, left no trace of wreckage, manuscripts or photographs left or sub­ One of the management techniques that with the sole exception of a single small mitted on speculation. Subscription prices: Richards is exploring is to let government wooden instrument box. United States and possessions: one year representatives and OTEC contractors in­ Aboard were 10 people, including Nor­ $ 95. Foreign: Add $1 5 for air mail. Single teract through an Ocean Energy Systems man Laird and Robert L. Charness of copies: US $ 8 each, Foreign $8.75 each. Council. The Council, still in the idea stage, NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental ISSN : 0162 - 8755 would have a government group, a working Laboratory of Seattle; Gary Neimeyer, group, and an action group. The govern­ Robert Harvey, and Michael Allen of the ment group would serve as a forum for University of Hawaii; James Sanduski and expressions of interest or concern by rep­ SUBSCRIPTION RATE Stephen Shannon of the Lawrence Berke­ resentatives from various federal agencies; INCREASE IN 1979 ley Laboratory; and three crew members.