SINTEF Building and Infrastructure research groups.
One method of energy production that is not often talked about is osmotic power. Our group had the opportunity to visit SINTEF, the large research institute in Trondheim that seeks to create “technology for a better society.” Specifically, we met with Dr. Edvard Sivertsen, who is a senior scientist working in the Water and Environment research group within the SINTEF Building and Infrastructure department. The main purpose of our visit was to learn about the specifics of osmotic power production, which is a topic that we did not cover while taking our Renewable Energy course back at Colgate. Therefore, it was very exciting to learn about the new technology and its potential for significant energy production!
Osmotic power production can be confusing, so here are the basics. Osmosis is the transport of a solvent (like water) through a semi-permeable membrane. To produce power, an osmotic power plant could be set up where a river meets an ocean. A semi-permeable membrane will separate the freshwater and the salt water. Water can move through the membrane, but salt cannot. Because the salt water has a higher concentration of salt, the freshwater will pass through the membrane in an effort to eliminate the difference in their concentrations. However, the salt water will not be able to flow freely so it becomes very pressurized. Then, the pressurized water is pushed through a turbine, which powers a generator and produces electricity. There are actually multiple, very complex and technical processes that can achieve this, but these are the basic principles.
SINTEF technology building.
We also learned about the different membranes that can be used in the osmotic power processes. This is one of the specific projects that Dr. Sivertsen and his team were working on. The membrane primarily consists of a flat sheet and a layer of fiber. The flat sheet looks like a thin sheet of waxy paper, and the fiber looks like a sheet of netting or mesh. The research team had been testing multiple types of these materials to see which ones allowed for the passing through of water but not of salt. In practice, it is impossible to completely eliminate the passing through of any salt, but it is possible to come close. There are also significant cost concerns – some materials are much more expensive than others and a relatively cheap membrane is vital in order to make osmotic power economically feasible.
Unfortunately, Dr. Sivertsen and his team recently lost their funding to keep their research going. They are appealing this decision, and I hope that their worthwhile research is able to continue in the future. Although osmotic power production does seem viable, much more research will be needed before there can be full-scale implementation. On the bright side, Statkraft, Norway’s power company, opened the world’s first osmotic power prototype in 2009. Today, there are still only a few like it around the globe. In Norway, osmotic power would be a great complement to its flourishing electricity production from hydropower. Once again, Norway gets 95% of its electricity from hydropower, so the electricity from osmotic power could be exported to other European countries – yet another way that Norway could serve as a green battery. According to Dr. Sivertsen, there is significant global potential for the production of osmotic power, so research like this is crucial before we can make this process a reality. Our visit to SINTEF was unlike anything we have done so far, and it was exciting to see the progress that has been made towards finding new and innovative solutions to our global energy crisis!