Cool as a (sea) cucumber? Exploring public attitudes toward seawater air conditioning in Hawai‘i

Abstract

a b s t r a c tSeawater air conditioning (SWAC) has the potential to reduce the energy demand for air conditioning by 75-90%. This article reports the findings of a mail survey sent to residents of the Hawaiian island of O'ahu investigating attitudes toward SWAC and opinions of installing a system in Waikīkī. Results show that while only 55% of O'ahu residents were previously aware of SWAC, 62% supported its development in Waikīkī and just 7% opposed. Of those familiar with the technology, support rose to 69%. However, when compared to eight other low-carbon energy options, SWAC ranked second to last. Concern exists about the potential environmental impacts of SWAC, particularly with regard to reef damage and algae production. Logistic regression analysis shows no significant difference in the likelihood of a person supporting SWAC due to their sex or level of education; although age, political affiliation, and locality do affect the likelihood of support. Those who see tourism as very important to Hawai'i and think SWAC will benefit the tourism industry are more likely to support, along with those who have a very positive opinion of renewable energy, and those who are familiar with the technology. In contrast, high-income O'ahu residents are less likely to support SWAC.

Climate change and industrial F-gases: A critical and systematic review of developments, sociotechnical systems and policy options for reducing synthetic greenhouse gas emissions

“…In coastal areas, sea-water air conditioning (SWAC) holds great promise, as it can reduce the energy demand for air conditioning by 90% and involves only chilled water as a refrigerant (see Figure 22). 174 SWAC systems have the added benefit of having low and stable electricity costs (due to their reduced energy demand) as well as full financial payback periods in three to ten years. This is why SWAC systems are already in use at some ports, hotels, airports, and shopping centers.…”

Energy Performance Assessment of Sea Water Air Conditioning (Swac) as a Solution Toward Net Zero Carbon Emissions a Case Study in French Polynesia

“…Following a social science approach, some publications study the adoption of this technology by the population, which remains unknown to the public. Lilley et al (2015) shows that Hawai'i people generally supports SWAC but is quite unfamiliar with it compared to solar or wind energy. Arias-Gaviria et al (2018) and Arias-Gaviria (2019) focus on the case study of Caribbean islands through simulations.…”

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion and Other Uses of Deep Sea Water: A Review

“…This plant had a double objective: To check the validity of computational models and to verify the real functionality of this technology. The plant is comprised of two functional units, one to generate electricity and the other to carry out on-site tests [86]. In 2015, water desalination functionality was added to the OTEC plant.…”