The need for these to be place along our coast in protected and safe areas is absolutely needed for this advancement to take effect.  It’s needed for quite a few other reasons as well though this is the primary reason that it is needed is for the transition to Hydrogen based fuels.  With this technology in place it will make the transition go much smoother and there will need to be a lot of math involved with the pressure changes caused by this so we can incorporate them in with the current reactors and oil drilling platforms.  This is my outlook and can be taken as such.

Sincerely,

Andrew F. Strasser

Actually desalination will be needed in massive amount with or without hydrogen. World populations are already overtaxing fresh water. Cheap fusion could provide waste heat for tradition distillation desalination plants, but reverse osmosis plants are all the rage these days with there ever increasing efficiency. If cheap fusion does not come around at lest desalination is a good place for mass solar power as water production does not need to be continues day and night.

Zara - 14 December 2007 01:08 PM

The need for these to be place along our coast in protected and safe areas is absolutely needed for this advancement to take effect.  It’s needed for quite a few other reasons as well though this is the primary reason that it is needed is for the transition to Hydrogen based fuels.  With this technology in place it will make the transition go much smoother and there will need to be a lot of math involved with the pressure changes caused by this so we can incorporate them in with the current reactors and oil drilling platforms.  This is my outlook and can be taken as such.

Sincerely,

Andrew F. Strasser

And considering that hydrogen is an energy storage and transport technology, it is likely to be trumped by such things as the new nanowire LiIon batteries which will have 10X the capacity of current versions.  Smart use of current versions already gives the TeslaMotors Roadster pure EV, e.g., a range of 220 mi. at highway and urban speeds.  Transport and storage of hydrogen is such a huge infrastructure cost that I no longer believe it will ever be justified.  The cost per delivered kwh is massively out of synch.  Fuel cells will probably even be phased out of spacecraft design.

I would love OTEC to do that instead of fusion power and reverse-osmosis plants.
Think about it:
Salted water comes in
Fresh water comes out +
Electricity comes out.
Totally perfect solution. Of course the usual approach of the world is that nobody wants one.
See more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversion

Breakable - 26 May 2008 06:20 PM

I would love OTEC to do that instead of fusion power and reverse-osmosis plants.
Think about it:
Salted water comes in
Fresh water comes out +
Electricity comes out.
Totally perfect solution. Of course the usual approach of the world is that nobody wants one.
See more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversion

Yep, totally perfect.  And about only about 40x as expensive as FF.  Hmm….

Brian H - 26 May 2008 07:46 PM

Breakable - 26 May 2008 06:20 PM

I would love OTEC to do that instead of fusion power and reverse-osmosis plants.
Think about it:
Salted water comes in
Fresh water comes out +
Electricity comes out.
Totally perfect solution. Of course the usual approach of the world is that nobody wants one.
See more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversion

Yep, totally perfect.  And about only about 40x as expensive as FF.  Hmm….

Yes but it completely feasible with existing technology.

Transmute - 28 May 2008 02:04 AM

Brian H - 26 May 2008 07:46 PM

Breakable - 26 May 2008 06:20 PM

I would love OTEC to do that instead of fusion power and reverse-osmosis plants.
Think about it:
Salted water comes in
Fresh water comes out +
Electricity comes out.
Totally perfect solution. Of course the usual approach of the world is that nobody wants one.
See more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversion

Yep, totally perfect.  And about only about 40x as expensive as FF.  Hmm….

Yes but it completely feasible with existing technology.

One way to think of economics is that it is the offering and selecting of options.  Given a choice between an inadequate amount of perfect technology, or adequate amount of imperfect technology (like oil, gas, etc.), for the same price, guess which will be chosen?

But speaking of OTEC, here’s a unique application:
http://www.hioceanictech.com/home.aspx

82,500 cu m. balls of tuna!  Kept in position with OTEC!