Resource assessment of ocean thermal energy conversion in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands

Fadia Ticona Rollano, Gabriel García Medina, Zhaoqing Yang and Andrea Copping

Renewable Energy, 2025, vol. 246, issue C

Abstract: Island communities often struggle to establish traditional electric grids and are heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels. For Puerto Rico (PR), these challenges are enhanced by extreme weather and other natural hazards that threaten the local electric infrastructure. Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) could play an important role in establishing a more resilient electrical grid in the region. A detailed analysis is conducted to characterize the ocean thermal resource and power potential of OTEC in PR based on a 14-year dataset of modeled ocean temperature. The assessment considers seasonal and interannual thermal patterns, examining the operational limitations associated with running a typical OTEC plant. The local ocean thermal resource is found to be sensitive to El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate patterns, with La Niña conditions linked to greater OTEC power availability. Six areas of opportunity are identified based on their resource potential and proximity to existing electrical transmission lines, including one that could also benefit the nearby U.S. Virgin Islands. The greatest OTEC power potential is observed to the south of PR with an estimated capacity of 138 MW for a plant pumping cold water from a depth of 1000 m, or the equivalent amount of electricity required to power 219,000 households.

Keywords: Ocean thermal energy; OTEC; Puerto Rico; Energy resilience; Resource characterization; U.S. virgin islands (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:246:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125005695

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.122907

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