Global OTEC and Makai partner to make offshore OTEC scalable

Global OTEC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Makai Ocean Engineering, which will see Makai supply its Thin Foil Heat Exchanger (TFHX) technology for integration into OTEC’s Power Module.

By combining Makai’s expertise in heat exchanger design with Global OTEC’s floating platform technology, the agreement aims to accelerate the deployment of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) as a reliable renewable energy source, especially for tropical islands.

OTEC produces clean power by using the natural temperature gradient present in the tropical area of the ocean.

Makai Ocean Engineering, based in Hawaii, has been involved in OTEC research and development for over four decades, including the design, construction, and operation of one of the only two grid-connected OTEC demonstration plants in the world.

To address the technical and economic challenges of scaling OTEC systems, particularly the high capital costs driven by large, titanium heat exchangers, Makai developed the TFHX.

The TFHX features compact geometries and corrosion-resistant materials that significantly lower the cost while maintaining high thermal efficiency, durability, and fouling resistance, making it.

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Makai’s TFHX consists of stacked layers of individual proprietary 'plates' that together form the heat exchanger core. Manufacturing methods allow for custom non-linear geometries, ultra-compact flow channels, and corrosion resistant materials at dimension scales from 10cm to 1m.

“TFHX was designed to perform in demanding marine environments where reliability, compactness, and durability are key,” said Greg Rocheleau, CEO of Makai Ocean Engineering. “We’re excited about the potential for this technology to support future OTEC deployments and help advance the industry toward commercial viability.”

Global OTEC’s system is designed to make this process more modular and cost-effective, scaling in increments of up to 500kW per OTEC Power Module.

Achieving these goals requires compact, corrosion-resistant thermal components that balance performance with material and manufacturing costs; a key consideration in component selection.

Dan Grech, founder and CEO of Global OTEC, commented: “This agreement brings together decades of innovation in ocean thermal technology with a modern, modular vision for deployment. Our goal is to create a scalable path to offshore OTEC, and integrating proven technologies like the TFHX strengthens that effort.”

With a modular approach, the OTEC Power Module is engineered to deliver scalable, clean baseload energy to offshore platforms and tropical nations. This is the world’s first modularised, offshore OTEC system.