Frequently asked questions

Value Park is a decarbonised-cooling engineering company based in La Ciotat, active since 2015. We design and deploy energy audits, chiller refurbishment, sea water air conditioning (SWAC) and ocean thermal energy (OTEC) solutions.

Value Park is based in La Ciotat (Bouches-du-Rhône, France) and has operated since 2015. Our projects notably cover coastal and island territories, including Réunion Island.

Four areas of expertise: energy audit, chiller refurbishment, SWAC (sea water air conditioning) and OTEC (ocean thermal energy).

Contact us through the website form or at contact@value-park.com. We quickly assess whether a study (SWAC, OTEC, audit or refurbishment) is relevant for your site.

Yes: the EDF Pulse Start-up Prize 2022 (“Low-carbon production” category) and the 3rd prize at EVER Monaco 2023 for its innovation in marine renewable energy.

SWAC is a cooling system that uses naturally cold deep sea water (around 5°C in tropical zones, from 700–1000 m depth) as its cold source. This water cools a chilled-water loop through a heat exchanger, without a conventional refrigeration machine.

SWAC reaches an EER above 10 (versus 2.5 to 3.5 for conventional air conditioning) — meaning 1 kWh of electricity produces more than 10 kWh of cooling — and a COP that can approach 25 on a well-designed loop. The result: up to −80% of cooling electricity. At CHU Sud Réunion hospital, this represents a 30% cut in cooling-related electricity.

Coastal or island sites with access to deep cold water within a reasonable distance: overseas territories (Réunion, French West Indies, Polynesia), hospital complexes, coastal data centres, urban cooling networks, hospitality and port-side industrial sites.

A SWAC is designed as a marine work, not as a conventional air conditioning system: it involves deep-water pipes, pumping stations, titanium exchangers resistant to sea water and integration with the existing cooling network. It is a specific engineering discipline that Value Park has operated since 2015.

SWAC runs without fluorinated gases (high-global-warming refrigerants) and with very little electricity, resulting in very low CO₂ emissions. The warmed-water discharge is subject to studies and environmental monitoring (impact assessment, coastal-law compliance) to protect the marine environment.

OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) harnesses the temperature difference between warm surface water (~25°C) and cold deep water (~5°C) to produce energy. In tropical zones this gradient is permanent, making it a renewable source available around the clock.

In the closed cycle, a low-boiling working fluid (ammonia, R1234) circulates in a sealed loop to drive a turbine. In the open cycle, the seawater itself is flash-evaporated under vacuum — and this cycle additionally produces desalinated fresh water as a by-product.

Yes, in the open cycle. The seawater vapour, once condensed against the cold deep water, yields desalinated, drinkable fresh water. A 2 MW unit can deliver on the order of 4,000 m³ of fresh water per day, on top of electricity — a major asset for island sites.

Wherever the surface/depth temperature gap reaches at least 20°C — mainly tropical and island zones (Réunion, French West Indies, Polynesia, the Pacific) with access to deep water. These territories often seek an alternative to imported fossil fuels.

The OTEC Lab is Value Park’s full-scale simulator, at the heart of the MAEVA R&D programme (funded by the French National Research Agency, supported by Capénergies). It models and optimises the productivity of an OTEC system under a site’s real conditions before any deployment.

Yes. Unlike solar or wind, the ocean thermal gradient is stable day and night: OTEC is the only marine renewable able to deliver 24/7 base-load generation, independent of the weather.

OTEC is an emerging technology, at the R&D and demonstrator stage. Value Park develops it through the OTEC Lab to assess, site by site, the real feasibility and productivity — an essential step before considering a full-scale project.