Osmotic power generation
Blue Energy: electricity production from fresh and salt water
Blue Energy is the development and testing of reverse electrodialysis (RED) using polymeric ion exchanging membranes. This commercially exciting technology allows for electricity production simply from supplies of fresh and salt water.
Mixing fresh (river) water and salt (sea) water generates 0.5 kWh per m3 fresh water. The principle of RED is proven on a laboratory scale using expensive membranes from the process industry and the medical dialysis sector.With this application it has been possible in the Netherlands, to generate 10 times more electricity than today by wind energy. This also opens opportunities for other countries with river deltas. Blue Energy not only works on the difference between fresh and salt water, but also between salinated brine or process water and other water streams.
Since 2001, KEMA has been developing a different osmotic technology in partnership with Dutch utilities. KEMA patented an electrical modification method using inexpensive polyethelene. This method is new and provides a breakthrough in low-cost ion exchange membranes in order to make osmotic power costs competitive with other sustainable generation options.
Blue Energy produces electricity without: