[Interview] Purnima Jalihal on the evolution and future of ocean energy systems in IndiaPurnima Jalihal, head of the energy and freshwater group...
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network
Purnima Jalihal, head of the energy and freshwater group at the National Institute of Ocean Technology, is currently coordinating the development of the maiden ocean energy-powered desalination plant, at Kavaratti island in Lakshadweep. The plant is presently powered by diesel.
Jalihal believes that the development of both small-scale off-grid ocean energy systems and large-scale structures are important to meet clean energy targets.
In conversation with Mongabay-India, Jalihal discusses the future of ocean energy systems in India, the cost-based challenges, environmental impacts of marine renewables and the socio-economic benefits for coastal communities with the development of ocean energy systems.
A seawater-powered lantern with an output in watts; a small hut powered by one to five kilowatts of ocean energy; or a town that could run on megawatts harnessed from the ocean: from watts to megawatts every iota of clean energy, including marine renewable energy, is important in India’s energy basket, says ocean energy scientist Purnima Jalihal.
Jalihal heads the Energy and Freshwater group at the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, India, and leads the development of ocean energy devices and thermal desalination systems at her lab. Of the many ways in which ocean energy can be accessed is through ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), a technology that taps into the temperature differences (thermal gradients) between relatively warmer surface waters and deep cold waters of the ocean to generate baseload electricity and desalinate ocean water.
Attached link
https://india.mongabay.com/2023/02/interview-purnima-jalihal-on-the-evolution-and-future-of-ocean-energy-systems-in-indiaTaxonomy
- Desalination
- Thermal Desalination
- Sea Water Desalinisation
- Sustainable Desalination