Harnessing the power of sea water, Norway unveils world's first salt power generator
The world's first salt power generator was today unveiled in Norway.
The system which harnesses the energy produced when fresh water and sea water mix was devised by the energy company Statkraft.
It has been estimated that globally, salt power could produce 1,600-1,700 terawatt hours, equivalent to half of the European Union's total annual power production.
The Norwegian prototype was built for testing and development purposes in an old paper mill.
State-owned Statkraft said it hopes to be able to build 'a commercial osmotic power plant within a few years'.
Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit at today's official opening of the world's first salt power generator, in Tofte, south of Oslo. In the background are the Minister of Oil and Energy, Terje Riis-Johansen and Statkraft chairman of the board, Arvid Grundekjoen
Salt power, whose waste product is brackish water, is widely considered an environmentally friendly energy source. However, there are concerns that the brackish water emitted by the plants could affect local marine ecology.
The technology is
also referred to as osmotic power because it relies on osmosis - the
tendency of water to move from one side of a porous divider to the
other to even out the salt concentration on either side.
It is this flow that creates pressure which can then be used to generate a turbine.
The prototype, about 40 miles south of the Norwegian capital, is located where a river empties into the Oslo fjord on a creek.
Owned solely by the Norwegian government, Statkraft has 3,200 employees in 20 countries.
How the Norwegian prototype, 40 miles south of the capital Oslo, will work
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