Current Projects

Ocean thermal energy conversion is still a relatively new concept and is still being experimented with. The Ocean Energy Research Center (OERC) located in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii is a facility whose sole purpose is to improve technology used in OTEC. This facility supply first supplied the grid with closed-cycle OTEC power in summer 2015. Other projects this facility is currently undergoing involving OTEC production are²:

Cold water pipeline design research
Designs for the first offshore OTEC pilot plant with a range of 2-10MW net-power²
Several studies of the water discharge pump and its environmental effects.

The Ocean Energy Research Center is not the only location performing experiments and projects with OTEC. Some other projects around the world include:

An OTEC 100kW Demo Plant that started in 2013 and should be coming to completion in 2017²
Corrosion and Performance Testing of OTEC Heat Exchangers that started in 2009 should also be coming to conclusion in 2017²
A memorandum with Lockheed Martin in Beijing that says they will be designing a 10-megwatt OTEC plant that will supply 100% of the power needed for a resort built by Reignwood Group⁴.