The Economist's World Ocean Initiative awarded Lumare Energi as winner of Ocean Changemaker Challenge 2022. Using the renewable concept of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), Lumare Energi aims to build small-size power generation plants in rural Indonesia. Lumare’s plant design combines a zero emission power generation with the production of fresh water and sea salt. OTEC creates power from the ocean by utilising the warmth of the ocean surface heated by the sun to create vapour and drive the turbine. The ocean surface is warm due to the sun exposure while the deep seawater is rather cold and could reach around 4'C. The cold water from the deep sea is then used to cool back the vapour into a liquid so it can be reused in a continuous cycle. By using this temperature difference, OTEC technology can generate a 24/7 base load power that is 100% renewable and has zero emission, causing minimal impact to the environment.
