As part of the joint fact-finding visit series of the INES - Osmotic Energy Alliance the first Osmotic Energy fact-finding visit in 2023 took place on March 27, with a highly interested delegation from the European Commission DG ENER.

Fabulous fresh weather in this beautiful part of the Netherlands! REDstack BV presented the EU Commission with the demo plant of the De Afsluitdijk, showcasing how Osmotic Energy installations can be properly integrated in very sensitive (Natura 2000/WFD and other protection formulas).

Also, the other key European developers Sweetch Energy, ResourSEAs srl and SaltPower presented their plans to the delegation of the European Commission, DG ENER and the meeting was opened by the Bauke Dam from the Súdwest-Fryslân.As part of the reach out to emerging economies, the Ambassador of Bangladesh, Riaz Hamidullah was also present!

It was shown that Osmotic Energy can contribute to EU energy security while also closing the loops in the perspective of circular economy, and decarbonised freshwater production with minimal landscape impacts. The installations are mostly integrated into already existing water, maritime and industry infrastructure.

On 28 March REDstack BV was awarded a 5 Million Euro grant from the Waddenfonds (Dutch Fund to strengthen ecology and economy of the Wadden Sea)!

The hybrid EP Intergroup meeting on 5 July, physically taking place at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, was organised by the Intergroup on Biodiversity, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, was titled “The potential of Osmotic Energy to produce clean permanent electricity and green hydrogen – Accelerating the European Union’s energy transition”.This meeting was also organised in the perspective of MEPs Ms Maria da Graça Carvalho and Mr Christophe Grudler initiative on the amendments to the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) to include ‘Osmotic Energy’.

Meeting Scope

In the meeting, attention was paid to the various forms of Osmotic Power Production in Europe and their state of the art: RED, PRO and Nanotechnology. In addition the EP Members participated in the discussion underlining the essence of this type of power generation to stimulate innovative renewable energy development in order to ensure Europe’s Energy Security. Besides the nanotechnology development of Sweetch Energy (FR) by IMI/INES, also the latest developments at REDstack (NL), Saltpower’s (DEN) and ResourSEAs (IT) demonstration projects were presented

During the European Green Week 2021, IMIEU hosted an informative webinar on the topic of Salinity Gradient Power (SGP). This technology allows for the generation of power through the mixing of fresh and saline water. The goal of the event was to inform policymakers, industry partners, researchers, and the general public about the benefits of SGP technology in achieving the objectives of the New European Green Deal and the new, more ambitious 55% objective for the implementation of renewable energy.

INES Platform and Upscaling Efforts

IMIEU has initiated the INES platform, which coordinates activities related to sharing knowledge, developing pilot projects on an international scale, and further strengthening scientific cooperation. Additionally, through international collaboration, the platform addresses common challenges of the technology such as fouling of membranes and enhancement of quality and capacity, pre-treatment issues, and upscaling of installations. The platform also aims to efficiently adapt to environmental risks to achieve the goals set out in the Paris Agreement and EU Green Deal by mobilizing finance. For the last two years, steps have been taken towards upscaling and in the Netherlands and Denmark, scaled-up solutions of 1MW or more are being developed. During the event, the key partners of the INES platform will present their applications and commercialization of SGP technology.