Norway prepares to produce clean electricity from salt

After wind, sun, currents and tides, Statkraft - a Norwegian national company specializing in renewable energy - is preparing to produce clean electricity by exploiting another natural phenomenon, that is "pitted" between clean water and sea water to release energy.

Salt field.Photo: Nhan.

"This is a form of renewable energy, but unlike solar or wind power, it creates a stable, measurable energy source," explains Stein Erik Skilhagen, the project manager. and despite the weather.

This type of osmotic energy is based on principle, naturally seeking balance. Osmosis is very common in nature, as used to desalinate seawater.

Statkraft's ambition is to build a permeable power plant at an old chlorine factory in Hurum, 60km south of Oslo.

According to Mr. Skilhagen, the important thing now is to test and validate a technology, rather than producing more electricity. Initially this factory can produce 2 - 4 KW of electricity.

Statkraft admits that there is a long way to find an effective way to produce electricity from osmotic energy.

The company expects the plant to be put into operation in 2015, producing about 25 MW of electricity, enough to meet the needs of 10,000 households.

This type of energy has the potential to generate 1,700 Terawat (1T = 10 caps 12) of electricity, equivalent to half the current electricity output in Europe, and equal to China's total energy consumption in 2002.

The Norwegian project, although small in scale, can prove the huge potential of osmotic energy.