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arXiv · 2607.23546

Optimal Microgrid Operation with Open-cycle Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion for Islands

Abstract

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is a zero-carbon technology that harnesses the ocean's thermal gradient to generate electricity. Among OTEC variants, open-cycle OTEC is particularly attractive to island communities, as it can co-generate electricity and freshwater. This paper develops an integrated model that captures both the thermodynamic process of open-cycle OTEC and its operational role in an island microgrid. A two-stage robust scheduling model is formulated for the island microgrid, with a budget uncertainty set to capture the renewable output deviations. The resulting model is solved via an inexact column-and-constraint generation algorithm, which accelerates convergence by permitting inexact solutions of the first-stage problem in early iterations. Numerical experiments demonstrate that open-cycle OTEC can fully substitute for conventional generators on island microgrids and provide more reliable and dispatchable output than volatile renewable sources.

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BibTeXRIS

Xiaoyu Fu, Yang Yang, Yonghua Song. 2026-08-01. Optimal Microgrid Operation with Open-cycle Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion for Islands. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.23546

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