OWATEP — Open Water ThermoElectric Probe
The Concept: OWATEP (Open Water ThermoElectric Probe) is a fleet-deployable water heat pump probe based on the well-documented Seebeck effect — a thermoelectric phenomenon known for nearly 200 years, applied here in a novel oceanic context.
Each probe is a compact, open-water floating head unit connected to thin, flexible tendrils extending into deep water. Deployed in large-scale fleets, these probes provide a cost-effective approach to regulated ocean cooling — addressing a challenge for which no widely-known solution currently exists at geoengineering scale.
The project operates on three concurrent objectives: (1) directing global attention to ocean thermal accumulation, (2) spreading OWATEP cooling solutions and methodology, and (3) harvesting the resulting renewable thermoelectric energy.
Key Technical Parameters
- Operating principle: Seebeck effect — thermoelectric generation from temperature differential between surface and deep water
- Energy absorption: 30.61–31.29 MJ/m² (standard); up to 51.02 MJ/m² (optimized black sphere variant)
- Fleet maintenance: autonomous drone-based "shepherd" units for deployment and repair
- Arctic variant: specialized configuration for polar deployment
- Framework: qualified within EU Horizon 2020 innovation program context
Concept Visualizations
Further Predictive Concepts (2014)
Concurrent with OWATEP, a body of predictive concept work was produced in 2014. Several predictions have since been independently validated:
Blockchain-based e-authentication: Legal-grade digital notarization using timestamped, immutable certificates — conceptualized before blockchain became standard trust-layer technology.
AR-mapped advertising: Replacing physical ad surfaces in mapping environments with live digital overlays — predating Metaverse and AR advertising models by a decade.
City-scale telepresence portals: 10m-diameter sidewalk displays connecting distant cities in real-time — independently realized by the Vilnius-Lublin Portal (2024).
Owatep.com — Original Website (English)
Click to browse full website · Original website design circa 2015