Upwelling Tests on FLIP Used to Develop Energy Technology

摘要

There is a new recipe for energy:add water to the ocean,create electricity,then repeat steps one and two.Gradients in salinity between inflowing water and the salty oceans can be harnessed as an energy resource.Although relatively unknown,the maximum power available through the salinity gradient has been calculated by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography as equivalent to 780 feet of hydraulic head.Globally,the energy resource potential has been estimated at 2,000 terawatts per year,with approximately 250 terawatts per year available in Europe alone.A Norwegian utility,Statkrat AS,has dedicated a lab to salt power and hopes to have commercial systems operating within five to 10 years.