Conversion during 1972. ERDA now provides the principal support 

 of these studies. The objectives of the studies are 



(1) To establish design and evaluation criteria for viable 

 components and subsystems 



(2) To examine the technical and competitive feasibility of various 

 ocean thermal concepts 



(3) To investigate possible legal and environmental barriers to 

 technology implementation and the means for resolving and 

 ameliorating such problems 



(4) To explore energy conversion, storage, and delivery systems 

 for exploitation of the derived energy 



(5) To study potential byproducts of large floating ocean thermal 

 pow^erplants, fresh water, and chemical fuels 



Current studies being conducted at several universities and private 

 companies range from the development of materials and designs for 

 more efficient heat exchangers to the construction and testing of an 

 operating model of an ocean solar powerplant. Most studies are still 

 in the early stages, but they have already resulted in a fluted tube 

 technique to enhance heat transfer and reduce costs, and in the 

 completion of a systems configuration that could be located off the 

 Florida coast and provide electric power to Miami. Preliminary 

 results also suggest that the offshore plants might reasonably 

 produce intermediate chemical products, such as hydrogen, 

 methanol, or ammonia, which in turn could be delivered to land- 

 based plants for use in generating electricity or for other purposes. 



30 



