Osmotic power

In an old factory by the shore at Tofte in Hurum, just outside Oslo, Statkraft has built the world’s first osmotic power plant or salient gradient power generation station. According to Statkraft, this environmentally-friendly method of producing electricity has a global potential of 1600-1700 TWh a year, the equivalent of half of the EU’s current energy production. Osmotic power could supplement renewable energy sources such as water and wind power. 

Osmotic power is a renewable and zero-emission energy source which Statkraft has been conducting research on for ten years. Electricity is generated by exploiting the energy that is released when fresh water and salt water combine. By separating the water types with a membrane, osmosis is used to increase the pressure on the seawater side. The pressure that builds up is equivalent to the energy produced from a 120-metre waterfall. 

“Osmotic power stations produce electricity around the clock. They do not depend on the sun shining, the wind blowing or the rain falling”, says Osmotic Power Officer Stein Erik Skilhagen in Statkraft.

In principle, osmotic power plants can be built at any site where fresh water runs out into the sea. It is a zero-emissions technology that can be integrated into existing industrial areas.

An osmotic power plant will probably be the size of a football stadium and deliver enough power for 30 000 European households. The prototype that opened recently at Tofte in Hurum has limited production capacity and is primarily used for testing and development. Statkraft hopes that the first demonstration plants can be built as early as 2015. 

Read more:
http://www.statkraft.no/energikilder/saltkraft/saltkraft-kort-forklart/