Combining OTEC with floating cities?
During the Seasteading Conference in San Francisco, US in May 2012 new ideas were presented for advancing seasteading, or permanent dwellings on the ocean. According to the Randolph Hencken, the Seasteading Institute director, “the ocean provides a space to innovate with political and social systems that could advance and serve humanity”. Amongst the speakers were Robert J. Nicholson, President of OTEC International, and ocean policy expert Patrick Takahashi, Director Emeritus of the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the University of Hawaii. They presented the possibilities for connecting the benefits of OTEC to floating seasteading cities in tropical oceans, supplying energy, fresh water, and enabling a new ocean ecosystem.
Patrick Takahashi, spoke about his team’s vision to build the Pacific International Ocean Station (PIOS). The station would be a grazing plantship and research facility with OTEC and deep ocean water upwelling as central component. “We envision the PIOS as a living laboratory for the future of what could be these thousand cities in the ocean”, according to Takahashi. It would enhance global partnership to advance the development of sustainable ocean resources in harmony with the marine environment. The organization Blue Revolution Hawaii advocates the building of the station in Hawaii’s ocean waters.
Robert J. Nicholson, President of OTEC International, reported on their contract to build a 1 MW OTEC demonstration plant at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii (NELHA). Larger scale floating OTEC facilities could introduce synergetic benefits when connected to floating cities, such as energy, fresh water and fuel production, as mentioned by Nicholson in his presentation. In his opinion, the concept of seasteading and OTEC are a perfect combination. “Everyone can become an OTEC enthusiast”, according to Nicholson.
Patrick Takahashi about OTEC and the plan for a Pacific International Ocean Station: http://vimeo.com/44218835
Robert J. Nicholson, President of OTEC International, about OTEC during the Seasteading Conference 2012: http://vimeo.com/44255125
The Seasteading Institute is a non-profit organization, working to enable seasteading communities – floating cities – which will allow the next generation of pioneers to peacefully test new ideas for government. For more information: http://www.seasteading.org