Norway's Statkraft Turns On World's First Osmotic Power

Norway’s state-owned utility Statkraft opened the world’s first osmotic power prototype Tuesday.

The prototype generates power by exploiting the energy available when fresh water and seawater are mixed–as happens in the numerous fjords along Norway’s coast.

A pourous membrane between the fresh and salt water allows for a build-up of pressure on the salt-water side, as freshwater flows through. The pressure is then used to drive a turbine.

The prototype device is low-power, currently producing a mere 2-4 kilowatts of electricity. However, Statkraft, which has been researching the renewable power for 10 years expects it to someday make a global contribution to eco-friendly power production.

Statkraft said its goal is to be capable of constructing a commercial osmotic power plant within a few years’ time.

The global potential of osmotic power is estimated to be 1,600-1,700 terawhatt hours (TWh) per year, equivalent to 50% of the EU’s total power production. Osmotic power plants can, in principle, be located wherever fresh water runs into the sea; they produce no noise or polluting emissions and they can be integrated into existing industrial zones, for example, in the basements of industrial buildings.

Statkraft is Europe’s largest renewable energy company. The group develops and generates hydropower, wind power, gas power and district heating, and is a major player on the European power exchanges. Statkraft also develops marine energy, osmotic power, solar power and other innovative energy solutions.