Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is receiving increased attention as a means to generate base load electrical power with relatively low associated carbon burden. Although OTEC requires a temperature difference of about 20° C between warm surface water and cold deep water for acceptable efficiency and is, therefore, limited to tropical oceans, various co-products such as energy carriers and food could offer global benefits. This paper examines a number of concepts to utilize the nutrient rich cold or mixed seawater discharge from offshore OTEC systems to stimulate primary production in the photic zone which, in turn, could be exploited for aquaculture operations that include fish
farming or the generation of biomass.
