Zero environmental damage, zero carbon: Osmotic energy
Japan has launched Asia's first osmotic energy plant, capable of generating continuous electricity by harnessing the interaction of freshwater and saltwater. The plant, located in Fukuoka, will generate approximately 880,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, meeting the energy needs of a nearby water treatment plant and approximately 220 households.
THE UNINTERRUPTIBLE ENERGY SOURCE OF THE FUTUREThe power plant generates electricity by using the pressure generated when freshwater passes into saltwater. This pressure is directed to turbines, releasing energy without consuming any fossil fuels. The key advantage of this method is that it is environmentally friendly and produces no carbon dioxide emissions. Given the sustainability of ocean and freshwater resources, osmotic energy is seen as one of the uninterruptible and renewable energy sources of the future.
CRITICAL TURNING POINT FOR ASIAThe Fukuoka plant has a higher capacity than a similar plant in Denmark that opened last year. While limited globally, it is seen as a critical turning point for Asia.
CHALLENGES AND WORKSExperts state that increasing the efficiency of osmotic energy production remains a significant engineering challenge. While the interaction of fresh and salt water generates energy, efficiency is reduced by the power consumed by pumps and the friction created by membranes. Therefore, many countries are working on different solutions. Various pilot projects are currently underway in Norway, South Korea, Spain, and Qatar.
FUTURE POTENTIALAlthough the current facility is relatively modest in scale, scientists predict that if technical hurdles can be overcome, osmotic energy could meet 15% of the world's energy needs by 2050. Japanese scientist Akihiko Tanioka described this development as promising and stated that he hopes the technology will become widespread not only in Japan but globally.
Source: Headline News – News Center
enerjihaber
