Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport (MCST) Blog

Mr. Wayne Raymi Kijiner is the  President of the Marshall Islands Student Association, University of the South Pacific, and  Undergraduate: BSc Double Major Electrical/Electronic Engineering & Physics   T here is a new but old technology making its way around the green energy discussions. I'm referring to Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). The technology has been understood since the 1800s, but it wasn't until the last 15 years that significant advancements were made and are currently being developed for improved designs.  What exactly is OTEC, and how does it work? In a nutshell, it is the use of the temperature difference between the surface and the deeper parts of the ocean to heat and cool a working fluid (usually ammonia).  Because the working fluid has a low boiling point, there is no need for a significant temperature difference; it should be at least 20°C. The working fluid is then heated using surface ocean water, causing it to turn into vapor ...

Atina Schutz is a law student at the University of the South Pacific who has been closely following the IMO negotiations  The shipping industry accounts for 3% of all CO2 emissions, and is on track to grow as high as between 50% and 250% in 2050. At the International Maritime Organization (IMO), discussions on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from ships are ongoing. While progress is slowly being made, the main thing people in the Pacific, and everywhere, should be watching is equity in the progress of GHG reduction debates.  In the global market, the Pacific is at a disadvantage. Our small economies, with distantly spread islands, are very far from the global market, which is heavily concentrated in the Global North. When it is time to decarbonize, that disadvantage will be exacerbated. As decarbonization is a highly costly and technical process, the cost will fall on governments already struggling to provide other equally important services to their citizens. ...