Blue Energy

Blue Energy is energy derived from water. This energy can be harnessed in a variety of ways and used to generate electric power. If successfully implemented on a large scale, blue energy could be the answer to the world’s need for sustainable energy.
The Reverse ElectroDialysis (RED) technology is a technology in which the difference in salt concentration between sea water and fresh water is exploited to generate power via osmosis. Crucial to this technology is the use of smart membranes.

By combining our knowledge of materials and organic chemistry with our customer’s technical expertise in the production of well-defined thin layers of material, we succeeded in developing the membranes needed. These membranes will play a crucial role in ensuring the commercial success of the RED technology for blue energy.

Through a series of performance evaluations in the lab and the smart use of materials, the membranes were progressively fine-tuned to achieve the efficiency level required for a pilot plant. A pilot plant was built and is currently in operation on the Afsluitdijk dam in the Netherlands.

For more information on Blue Energy: http://www.kennislink.nl/publicaties/zoet-zout-stroom (in Dutch)