In a recent talk to those concerned with OTEC development in the east coast of Taiwan, Dr. Tar-Zen Su, a professor of Marine Technology at the Taiwan Ocean University, strongly emphasized the advantages of OTEC for Taiwan and favorably justified the need for MPOP (Multiple Product OTEC Project). Dr. Su gave following reasons to explain why Taiwan needs to developed and to use OTEC:
- The sea water temperature difference is as high as 25ºC in summer and not less than 17ºC in winter and can be utilized to generate electricity all year round.
- There is a strong, steady, warm ocean current passing through the area that increases OTEC efficiency.
- The slope of the ocean bottom is very steep, reaching depths of 800 meters at 4 kilometers from the shore.
- The warm exhaust water from coal-fried power plants of from nuclear power plants can be used as the warm water sources to generate ocean thermal power, and the thermal pollution problems in the coastal areas can thus be eliminated.
- A land-based mariculture facility can be included in the OTEC project to product to a variety of marine co-products that make the OTEC project more economically feasible.