Japan has recently inaugurated its first osmotic power plant in the city of Fukuoka, marking a significant milestone in the country’s pursuit of renewable energy.
This innovative plant, only the second of its kind in the world, is expected to generate approximately 880,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, sufficient to power a desalination plant that supplies fresh water to the city and surrounding areas.
Osmotic power plants harness the energy generated by the natural process of osmosis, where water moves across a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated one.
By placing freshwater and seawater on either side of a special membrane, with the seawater slightly pressurized, the plant can increase the volume of pressurized solution, which can then be harnessed to produce energy.
According to Dr. Ali Altaee from the University of Technology Sydney, this technology has the potential to provide a steady source of electricity, as it is available around the clock, regardless of weather conditions.
The Fukuoka plant is the second osmotic power plant in the world, following the one built in Mariager, Denmark, in 2023 by Salt Power.
Pilot-scale demonstrations have also taken place in Norway and South Korea. Dr. Altaee’s team at the University of Technology Sydney has its own prototype, but the program lost momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, with advances in membrane and pump technology, the efficiency of osmotic power plants is expected to improve.
While the idea of osmotic power is simple, scaling it up poses significant challenges. According to Professor Sandra Kentish from the University of Melbourne, a substantial amount of energy is lost through the action of pumping water into the power plant and when it travels through the membranes.
Nevertheless, Kentish and Altaee agree that the Japanese plant marks an exciting moment for osmotic power, as it offers further proof that the technology can be used for large-scale energy production.
Dr. Altaee believes that Australia has the potential to implement osmotic power on a larger scale, similar to the Fukuoka plant.
With salt lakes around New South Wales and Sydney that could be used as a resource, and the expertise to build the plant, Australia could benefit from this innovative technology. If government funding becomes available, the prototype plant at the University of Technology Sydney could be restarted, paving the way for larger-scale implementation.
The development of osmotic power plants like the one in Fukuoka offers a promising future for renewable energy. As the world continues to seek sustainable and reliable sources of energy, osmotic power could play a significant role in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
With further research and investment, this technology has the potential to make a meaningful contribution to our global energy mix.