PROJECT 10

HYBRID OTEC - DEVELOPMENT OF MALAYSIA MODEL (INCLUSIVE OF ECONOMIC EVALUATION)

Project Leader: Dr. Rahayu Tasnim (UTM)

  • The economics of projects are the main barrier for OTEC development, especially small-scale plants will never become economically viable anywhere.
  • The OTEC system which only produced electrical power would not have a viable business measure, so in order to achieve a viable business measure, the OTEC system should produce electrical power and its by-product.
  • The OTEC main product is energy (electrical power), and it’s by-products are cooling water, aquaculture, farming, and mineral (Johnson, G., 2013).
  • Thus, OTEC technology can be economically viable when OTEC will produce the main product (electrical power) and its by-products (cooling water, aquaculture, farming, mineral, hydrogen, CO2 saving, and shellfish).

Main Objective:

To investigate the sustainability of Hybrid OTEC technology implemented in Malaysia.

This main objective is broken down into:-

  1. To investigate the market of potable water, seaweed and abalone in Malaysia.
  2. To test the potable water, seaweed and abalone produced by this project to the market.
  3. To investigate the financial viability of Hybrid main product and every Hybrid by-product.
  4. To investigate the financial viability of Hybrid OTEC technology by producing electrical power and it’s by-products (potable water, seaweed and abalones).
  5. To investigate how much potable waters (volume), how much seaweed and abalone to be sold, and the readiness of potable market, seaweed market, and abalone market to be able to achieve the Hybrid OTEC economically viable (e.g., having 5 year payback period).

In order to achieve those objectives, some methodologies should be implemented, such as market research, product test to the market and market test, payback period, NPV, and IRR for the main product and every by-product, and reverse engineering when the payback period will be given a fixed number.

Novel theories/New findings/Knowledge
OTEC Hybrid technology is economically viable

Research Publications
Two (2) articles in Q1 and Q2

Specific or Potential Applications
OTEC Hybrid is economically viable if OTEC Hybrid is selling main (electrical power) and by-products (potable water, seaweed, and abalone) in Malaysia.

Number of PhD and Masters (by research) Students

  • PhD Student(s): 2
  • Master Student(s): 2

UTM

  1. Dr. Rahayu Tasnim  – PROJECT LEADER
  2. Ts. Dr. Sathiabama T. Thirugnana
  3. Assoc. Prof. Mas Bambang Baroto
  4. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abentin Estim