Electricity from Water?

Generating electricity from water would be a renewable energy solution that could potentially change the world's dependency on fossil fuels to provide electricity to homes and businesses. Since 2007, Wetsus, a Dutch based water research institute has been experimenting with various methods and developed a Reversed Electro Dialysis (RED) technique which generates electricity by mixing fresh water and salt water together. When fresh water and salt water come together, salt conforms to a natural path. It moves from higher concentration to lower concentration. During this dilution process, useful energy is created.

Wetsus' RED process harnesses this energy and converts it to electricity they believe will be capable of providing 25% of The Netherlands' businesses and residencies with power. Using a filtration system which contains membranes that separate positive charged and the negatively ion particles from one another as the sea water washes through one side of the membrane and the fresh water flows in through the other side. Each ion particle generates 1/10 of a volt of electricity as it flows through the membrane. A single square yard of the Reversed Electro Dialysis membrane can produce 5 watt of electricity.

According to Cees Buisman, Professor of Biological Recycling Technology at Wageningen University, and Director of Research and Development at Wetsus, the RED process of electricity generation, also referred to as blue power, has been available for almost 20 years; however, the cost to generate a square yard of membrane filtered power back then was close to $1500 USD. Soon, the cost to generate the same square yard of Reversed Electro Dialysis electricity will be approximately $1.50 USD. With many of the major cities, around the world, close proximity to the oceans', blue power offers countless possibilities as a worldwide energy solution; it could mean the end of all nuclear and coal station electrical generation facilities Buisman said.

As the finishing touches are being applied to Wetsus' Reversed Electro Dialysis process, Buisman's research group is exploring ambitions to design and install a blue power membrane filtration system in the Afsluitdijk Dam, located in a northern Dutch providence. 43 million square feet of membrane filter would be utilized capable of generating 200 mega watts of electricity per second. That is a sufficient amount of electricity to power every household and business in every city and town in that region.

The RED membrane filter electrical generation process can be used nearly anywhere in the world where a river flows into the ocean. The energy generated is clean and creates no damaging emissions, polluted water, or excess salt. It does not create an unnatural eyesore along the shore line because the Reversed Electro Dialysis generators create their blue power underwater, for this reason, unlike wind and solar power; the membrane filter system is not dependent on the weather and is capable of generating electricity continuously. Professor Buisman believes as the cost to provide blue power continues to drop, it will soon be as cost effective to produce and distribute as it is to use green power (solar and wind energy).

What is Wetsus? - http://www.wetsus.nl/