Energy Recovery, Inc. (Energy Recovery) said that its PX Pressure Exchanger energy recovery devices are implemented at an osmotic power plant. Built in Tofte, Norway by Statkraft, the pilot plant showcases how the energy created through osmosis can be harnessed to generate continuous source of renewable electricity. The PX devices efficiency increase the energy output and reduce the energy consumed during the osmotic power generation process to ensure the net-positive production of electricity.
“The commissioning of our pilot facility is a significant step toward the commercialization of this game-changing renewable energy source. According to our calculations, the global production potential of osmotic power could exceed 1,600 terawatt hours, or the equivalent of half of Europe’s entire energy demand,” said Stein Erik Skilhagan, vice president of osmotic power at Statkraft.
“Although osmotic power has enormous potential, it is only economically feasible if you reduce the cost of creating it. Energy Recovery’s PX devices address this issue by considerably reducing energy use, allowing us to produce renewable electricity. We anticipate that the pilot plant will be quite successful and plan to implement the PX technology as we scale up to a commercial facility.”
By recycling the energy typically wasted as part of the reject stream, the PX devices, which operate at 98% efficiency, reduce energy use by up to 60%, helping to make desalination an affordable solution to global water scarcity.
Energy Recovery’s devices function on a similar principle in osmotic power processes.
The osmotic power process harnesses the osmotic potential difference between saltwater (such as seawater) and freshwater to produce a pressurized stream of membrane permeate. Diluted saltwater is released through a turbine that turns a generator to produce electricity. The PX devices work in unison with next-generation forward osmosis membranes to cost-effectively enable stable, reliable, environmentally friendly energy production anywhere that both freshwater and saltwater are available.
The pilot plant in Tofte, Norway is designed to produce 10 kW of renewable energy, and by 2015, Statkraft plans to build a full-scale osmotic power plant capable of producing 25 MW of electricity.
“The ability to harness osmosis and turn it into a continuous supply of clean, renewable energy is an extremely important accomplishment for humanity and the environment. We applaud Statkraft on opening the pilot facility as a major milestone for osmotic power,” said Rick Stover, chief technology officer of Energy Recovery. “We look forward to further developments in osmotic power technology, which could potentially use any saltwater or solution with a high osmotic potential to generate electricity. In every case, PX energy recovery devices will be an essential component, maintaining high osmotic pressure and maximizing net power output through high-efficiency performance. We look forward to playing an important role as osmotic power evolves as a significant source of global energy.”
Energy Recovery is a US-based provider of energy recovery products for desalination industry.
Statkraft is a Norway-based energy company.