After wind power, solar energy, ocean currents, and tides, Statkraft – the Norwegian state-owned company specializing in renewable energy – is preparing to generate clean electricity by harnessing another natural phenomenon: the “competition” between fresh water and seawater to release energy.
Salt fields. Photo: Nhan.
Mr. Stein Erik Skilhagen, who is in charge of the project, explains that this is a form of renewable energy, but unlike solar or wind energy, it produces a stable and predictable energy source, regardless of weather conditions.
This osmotic energy relies on the principle that nature always seeks balance. The phenomenon of osmosis is widely found in nature, such as in the desalination of seawater.
Statkraft’s ambition is to build an osmotic power plant at an old chlorine production facility in Hurum, located 60 kilometers south of Oslo.
According to Mr. Skilhagen, what is crucial now is to test and confirm a technology rather than focusing on high electricity production. Initially, this plant may generate 2 – 4 KW of electricity.
Statkraft acknowledges that there is still a long way to go before an efficient method for generating electricity from osmotic energy can be established.
The company hopes that this plant will be operational by 2015, generating approximately 25 MW of electricity, enough to meet the needs of 10,000 households.
This type of energy has the potential to provide 1,700 Terawatt-hours (1T = 10^12) of electricity, equivalent to half of the current electricity production in Europe and equal to China’s total energy consumption in 2002.
Although the Norwegian project is small in scale, it could demonstrate the enormous potential of osmotic energy.
