Until now, researchers across the world have been relying on wind, sun, and tides to harness whatever energy is there, but now, it’s time to move on and explore some unrevealed forms of renewable energy. Realizing it, a Norwegian state-owned company Statkraft endeavors to exploit the osmotic energy via its and the world’s first osmotic power plant prototype on the banks of the Oslo fjord.
When freshwater meets salty seawater through a thin layer, the freshwater tends to move towards the seawater side and puts pressure on the seawater side. Statkraft hopes to utilize this pressure or the Osmotic Energy to drive a turbine that could generate electricity. It is not a mega-project by any standards, still what it aims at is to put the technology to practice for the very first time. Moreover, since this form of energy is hardly dependent on the weather conditions, Stein Erik Skilhagen, in charge of the project sees it very ‘predictable’.
The osmotic energy has a global annual potential of 1,700-terawatt hour (TWh). Statkraft aims at installing a commercial-size plant by 2015 that could power 10, 000 homes or produce about 25 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
Via: AFP