South Australia - Considering Osmotic Power Generation
ABSTRACT:
Salinity power generation is an emerging field in the quest for renewable energy. The science behind
this field of technology is based on exploiting the osmotic pressure difference between waters of
dissimilar salt concentration to drive a hydroelectric ge
nerator.
MIK Technology of Houston, Texas
USA
has developed a patent pending technology for “Hypersaline Osmotic Power Generation”,
known as the “ISO Power Potential”
that promotes the concept of Large Scale Renewable Energy
(LSRE) from natural and manmade
hypersaline water domains.
MIK Technology strongly believes that South Australia's barren endorheic Lake Torrens and Lake
Eyre could generate safe and sustainable osmotic power that would increase
Australia’s
cur
rent
electrical power supply by
twenty
per
cent (20%). This implies
doubling
the
current renewable
sources of
the country. In addition, the project will provide basin flood relief and allows for the
reuse of low salinity flood water for domestic applications
and
developing new communities in Lake
Frome basin.
In this copyrighted material, Seawater will be extended 70 km to the project site from Spencer Gulf
at Port Augusta in an open canal. The massive size
project
requires
4
phases to implement. The first
two phases are intended to generate net
osmotic power from Lake Torrens
at a potential
of
4.0
Gigawatts, pending availab
ility of a canal for
flushing the salt
in the
sweater
supply
back to the sea.
The following wide
-
ranging third
and fourth
phase
s
are
continuation of the first two phases of
th
e
project
for
inte
grating
both sections of Lake Eyre to enhance net osmotic power generation
up
to
10.0
Gigawatts
and
make use of
the
wasted
flood
and excess
water
in
the
“
Channel Country”
region
.