Bardot Group opens OTEC systems simulation lab

Bardot Group has launched an experimental platform dubbed OTEC Lab which will be used for the optimization of its ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) system.

Bardot’s OTEC Lab is a full-scale simulator built to model and optimize the productivity of the OTEC system developed by its business unit Bardot Ocean which specializes in marine renewables.

The OTEC Lab will be able to establish the best setup to maximize the efficiency of an OTEC system by incorporating detailed studies of the environmental and technical data, including water temperature, flow, turbine and heat exchanger efficiency, Bardot informed.

OTEC technology uses the temperature differences in seawater to generate electricity through a circuit fed by cold deep seawater and hot surface water.

Bardot said its range of OTEC systems offers those with net power output from 0.3MW to more than 20MW.

To remind, Bardot Group plans to install an OTEC power plant in an eco-resort in the Maldives. The 2MW OTEC plant is expected to cover 100% of the resort’s electricity needs.