However, more than 70 percent of the earth is covered by water. The oceans are the world's largest collectors and storage mediums of solar thermal energy. The proximity of the tropical oceans to the equator means that they absorb a great portion of the sun's radiant energy. On an average day, the 60 million square kilometers of tropical ocean waters absorb an amount of solar radiation equivalent in heat content to about 250 billion barrels of oil. If less than 0.1 percent of the energy stored as heat in the ocean could be harvested, it would generate at least 14 million megawatts of electricity daily--more than 20 times the current generating capacity of the United States. Is there a way to tap this energy in a nonpolluting, sustainable way to help alleviate our world's dependence on nonrenewable energy?

       A technology has been developed that exploits this energy source. Called ocean thermal energy conversion, or OTEC, it uses the temperature difference between the warm surface waters and the cold waters pumped from the depths below to generate electricity. Though it has been tested and proven again and again, like other sustainable energy technologies it has been underdeveloped for various reasons. But this solar energy resource needs to be given a serious look, for it has several advantages that make it extremely attractive for development. It is a sustainable and renewable energy resource whose use is environmentally benign. And it has created spin-off applications in marine farming (mariculture), fresh water generation, and refrigeration and cooling that may have great economic value.

       Slow to be appreciated