Salt could become the next recyclable power source.

When salt water mixes with fresh water at the river mouths it increases the water temperature by 0.1 degree Celsius (0.2 Fahrenheit). To harvest this energy scientists have developed a special membrane which is extremely expensive. The process only problem is the cost of the production of this membrane which is quite expensive but that can be solved with a better and more energy efficient production.

Dutch scientists say that if we could harvest the energy from all the world estuaries we could provide 20 percent of the world electricity demand.

There are already two projects to build osmosis energy plants in the world, one at Fjord (south of Oslo) and another at a Dutch seaside lake. If scientists could manage a way of making this process not to be so expensive we might as well be facing the answer for our future energy problems in a clean and recyclable way.

Photo: REUTERS/Alister Doyle

A view of an industrial estate at Tofte near Oslo, Norway, March 2, 2008, where state power group Statkraft will build an experimental “salt power” plant in 2008.