Japan’s First Osmotic Power Plant: What It Means for Clean Energy

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Japan’s First Osmotic Power Plant: What It Means for Clean Energy

 

Japan has unveiled its first osmotic power facility in the coastal city of Fukuoka, marking a step into a little-known but promising form of renewable energy. This installation, only the second of its kind worldwide, is designed to generate around 880,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year, enough to help operate a local desalination plant that provides drinking water for Fukuoka and nearby communities.

According to Dr Ali Altaee of the University of Technology Sydney, that output could supply roughly 220 average Japanese households. Though still in its early stages and relatively small in scale, osmotic power offers one major advantage over other renewable sources: it runs continuously, unaffected by changes in weather or daylight. By drawing energy from the natural mixing of saltwater and freshwater, the process delivers a reliable, round-the-clock supply. In this article, we will discuss what osmotic power is and how it might be used in the future.

 

What is Osmotic Power?

Osmosis is a natural phenomenon where water moves through a semipermeable barrier from a solution with lower concentration to one with higher concentration, aiming to equalise both sides. Imagine a glass split in half by a thin, selective membrane. On one side is saltwater, and on the other is fresh water. Because the salt cannot cross the barrier, the freshwater gradually flows toward the saltier side, diluting it in the process.

Osmotic power plants apply this same process by positioning seawater and freshwater on opposite sides of a specially designed membrane, with the seawater kept under mild pressure. As freshwater moves across into the saltier side, the volume of pressurised liquid grows, creating energy that can be captured. At the Fukuoka site, either river water or treated wastewater is combined with seawater in this setup. The resulting pressure build-up drives some of the water through a turbine linked to a generator, converting the natural flow into usable electricity.

 

Other Places Osmotic Power Is in Use

According to Professor Sandra Kentish from the University of Melbourne, the Fukuoka facility is only the second osmotic power plant in operation worldwide, following the first built in 2023 in Mariager, Denmark, by the venture company SaltPower. While the Japanese site is larger in scale, Dr Ali Altaee notes that its performance is comparable to the Danish plant. Smaller pilot projects have also been tested in countries such as Norway and South Korea. Altaee added that the University of Technology Sydney developed its own prototype, though progress stalled during the Covid pandemic, and he has contributed to building additional test sites in Spain and Qatar.

 

What Challenges Does Osmotic Power Face?

Although the principle behind osmotic power is straightforward, putting it into large-scale practice remains a challenge. Professor Sandra Kentish explains that a significant amount of energy is consumed simply by pumping water into the system and moving it through the membranes. “When fresh and salt water mix, energy is released,” she said, “but much of that potential is offset by the energy needed to push the two streams into the plant and the friction losses across the membranes. As a result, the net gain is relatively small.”

Even so, Kentish noted that improvements in both pump efficiency and membrane design are helping to address these limitations. She also highlighted a clever feature of the Japanese facility: it uses concentrated seawater, the brine left over from desalination, as one of its inputs. This increases the difference in salt concentration, allowing for greater energy recovery.

 

What’s Next for Osmotic Power
Both Kentish and Altaee see the Fukuoka plant as a significant milestone for osmotic power, demonstrating that the technology can be applied to generate electricity on a larger scale. Altaee added that the prototype at the University of Technology Sydney could be reactivated if government funding were provided, opening the door to a project of comparable scale to the Japanese facility. “New South Wales and Sydney have salt lakes that could serve as a resource, and we also have the technical know-how to build such a plant,” he noted.

 

Link - https://www.renewableinstitute.org/japans-first-osmotic-power-plant-what-it-means-for-clean-energy/

 

 

This is good news. We should be employing more methods for producing energy from natural resources.

 

I think we should have hydro-energy stations in towns with rivers.

 

Tapping the wheelwork of nature, although hydro and tidal are not what Tesla meant. 

 

I thought Osmotic power was dead after the Norwegians closed their's. 

 

 

Statkraft osmotic power prototype in Hurum

 

Statkraft osmotic power prototype is the world's first osmotic power plant, based on the energy of osmosis. The power plant is run by Statkraft. The power plant is located at Tofte in Hurum, Norway, with rooms at the factory area at Södra Cell Tofte cellulose factory. The power plant uses the osmotic gradient that occurs when fresh water and salt water meet, separated by a permeable membrane. The salt water pulls fresh water through the membrane and the pressure increases on the salt water side; this pressure increase can be used to produce electrical power with the use of a normal hydroelectric turbine/generator setup.

 

Link - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statkraft_osmotic_power_prototype_in_Hurum

 

 

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Japan Builds Coin-Sized Generator That Pulls Power from Air

September 1, 2025 MSM Riham

 

Japan has unveiled a breakthrough that could reshape the way we think about energy. Engineers at Kyoto University have developed a coin-sized generator that harvests electricity from moisture in the air.

 

Unlike solar panels or turbines, this tiny device works 24/7, rain or shine, producing a continuous flow of clean power.

 

The secret lies in a layered nanofilm that absorbs water vapor and converts it into an electric current. Early field tests in Southeast Asia’s rice paddies proved the generator could power sensors and transmitters for months without maintenance—an achievement that traditional batteries or solar setups often fail to match.

 

Public reaction has been filled with awe, with many calling it a glimpse of the future. Energy analysts say the technology could be revolutionary for remote communities, disaster relief, or even wearable tech. One social media user described it as “free Wi-Fi energy, but for electricity.”

 

If scaled up, this technology could transform walls, tents, or even clothes into self-powered systems—quietly drawing energy from the environment around them. Imagine a world where charging your phone or running small electronics doesn’t depend on outlets at all. The age of electricity from thin air might be closer than we think.

 

Link - https://geeksaroundglobe.com/japan-builds-coin-sized-generator-that-pulls-power-from-air/

 

 

Hope this is true.

 

 

Edited September 6 by pi3141