By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Thu, 2007-08-09 12:26
Closely linked to energy issues
Accessible fresh water resources around the world are severely limited. In fact they represent only 1 per cent of all water on earth. Desalination of abundantly available seawater is one solution for producing fresh water for drinking, cooking, sanitation, agricultural irrigation, and industrial applications. However, desalination is a very energy intensive process and its potential is therefore limited by the availability of cheap energy. Consequently, the global fresh water problem is directly coupled to global energy issues.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Fri, 2007-03-02 08:30
Electricity from the difference in salt concentration
Blue energy is a special way of harnessing solar energy. The sun evaporates sea water, leaving the minerals behind in the sea. The evaporation creates clouds, which then fall back onto the earth as rain and snow, creating rivers of fresh water that flow back into the sea. The difference in the salt concentration between the river water and sea water can be used to generate electricity.
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By Hans Nilsson / Published on Fri, 2006-10-06 05:56
Statkraft in Norway has, for some time, developed concepts for osmotic power, i.e. the power from the differences in pressure between salt seawater and sweet freshwater, the latter passing through a membrane (see figure below).
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