The first ever prototype plant that produces energy by mixing fresh water and sea water opens in Norway.
Norway has opened the world's first osmotic power plant, which produces emissions-free electricity by mixing fresh water and seawater through a special membrane.
Osmotic power is one of a number of experimental renewable energy projects betting on an expected climate pact in Copenhagen next month unlocking funding and subsidy schemes that will help develop the technology and slash production costs.
"From Copenhagen as an outcome we hope they will conclude that this global issue, and that they will put a price on carbon so that we will have a price on emissions. And that will push for renewable technologies, and again osmotic power will be one of the technologies of tomorrow, with a huge potential," Energy producer Statkraft Chief Executive Baard Mikkelsen said.
State-owned utility Statkraft's prototype plant, which for now will produce a tiny 2-4 kilowatts of power or enough to run a coffee machine, will test and develop osmotic technology.
The plant is driven by osmosis that naturally draws fresh water across a membrane and towards the seawater side. This creates higher pressure on the seawater side, driving a turbine and producing electricity.
Statkraft, Europe's largest producer of renewable energy with experience in hydropower that provides nearly all of Norway's electricity, aims to begin building commercial osmotic power plants by 2015.
The main issue is to improve the efficiency of the membrane from around 1 watt per square metre now to some 5 watts, which Statkraft says would make osmotic power costs comparable to those from other renewable sources.
In developing the membranes, Statkraft co-operated with NASA, the U.S. space administration, which is interested in high-tech membranes for recycling water for astronauts.
"We're primarily interested in osmotic power membranes from the standpoint of life support system for future space applications," said Michael Flynn, head of advanced water recycling technology at NASA.
Flynn said osmotic power would help create a viable market for semi-permeable membranes and drive advances in technology.
Statkraft said that when it began researching osmotic power in the late 1990s, membrane efficiency was around 0.01 watt per square metre and latest technology is at 2-3 watts. The plant will change to the more efficient material after system checks.
The prototype, on the Oslo fjord and about 60 kilometres (40 miles) south of the Norwegian capital, has about 2,000 square metres of membrane inside dozens of plastic tubes that limit the corrosive effect of salt. Membranes are cleaned daily.
Future full-scale plants producing 25 MW of electricity, enough to provide power for 30,000 European households, would be as large as a football stadium and require some 5 million square metres of membrane, Statkraft said.
The full-scale model will require 25 cubic metres of fresh water per second, or the equivalent of about 75 full bath, as well as 50 cubic metres of sea water.
Once new membrane "architecture" is solved, Statkraft believes the global production capacity for osmotic energy could amount to 1,600-1,700 TWh annually, or about half of the European Union's total electricity demand.
Europe's osmotic power potential is seen at 180 TWh, or about 5 per cent of total consumption -- which could help the bloc reach renewable energy goals set to curb emissions of heat-trapping gases and limit global warming.
Osmotic power, which can be located anywhere where clean fresh water runs into the sea, is seen as more reliable than more variable wind or solar energy. Since many cities are near mouths of rivers, plants could easily connect to existing grids.
"The scenarios and the studies we have done is that this has a potential to come down in cost and be a part of the energy mix in the future," Head of Norwegian environmental group Bellona, Fredrik Hauge said.
"For many places this can be a interesting local energy supply that doesn't require too much grid systems," he added.
A summit in Copenhagen next month is due to agree on a United Nations (U.N.) pact to combat climate change by promoting clean energies and a shift from fossil fuels that a U.N. scientific panel blames for stoking heatwaves, floods, droughts and rising seas.
The prototype plant was officially opened by Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit. To illustrate the plant's potential, Statkraft invited the princess to a cup of tea.
Close
My Basket
