India Builds New Facility That Desalinates Seawater While Generating Electricity

According to “ZME Science,” the new facility efficiently uses the temperature difference between the surface and deep layers of ocean water.

The system is capable of producing up to 65 kW of electricity and around 100,000 liters of drinking water per day.

The technology could have significant practical value for supplying clean water and stable energy to remote areas such as Kavaratti Island, which is located far from the mainland.

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is based on the temperature difference between warm surface water and much colder water at greater depths.

Around Kavaratti, surface water temperatures are about 29°C, while at a depth of 1 kilometer they drop to around 7°C.

Conventional OTEC systems often use low-boiling-point fluids such as ammonia. However, the new system developed by Indian specialists directly evaporates seawater by reducing the pressure.

The resulting steam drives a turbine to generate electricity. It is then cooled using cold deep-ocean water, condensed, and converted into clean fresh water.