Japan Introduces Ocean Spiral: A Deep-Sea City Powered by Ocean Energy
Japan is looking to the depths of the ocean to fuel its future and potentially provide new living spaces.
The Ocean Spiral, designed by Shimizu Corporation, is an ambitious, forward-thinking project: a self-contained underwater city that harnesses deep-sea thermal energy for electricity.
Anchored to a spiral structure extending nine miles into the ocean floor, it utilizes Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), leveraging the temperature gradient between warm surface waters and cold deep-sea currents.
This innovative system employs a turbine driven by a specialized fluid, heated by surface water and cooled by deeper currents, to produce steady, renewable energy around the clock, independent of weather conditions.
Beyond energy production, the Ocean Spiral could desalinate seawater for drinking, cultivate crops in enclosed aquatic pods, and support research facilities or even long-term inhabitants.
It’s more than a renewable energy solution — it’s a blueprint for thriving in the planet’s largest untapped frontier.