Energy Recovery PX Devices Implemented in World’s First Osmotic Power Plant
December 03 2009 - 2:54PM
Business Wire
Energy Recovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:ERII), a leader in the design and
development of energy recovery devices for desalination, today
announced that its industry-leading PX Pressure Exchanger® energy
recovery devices are implemented at the world’s first osmotic power
plant. Built in Tofte, Norway, by leading Norwegian energy company
Statkraft, the pilot plant showcases how the energy created through
osmosis can be harnessed to generate a continuous source of
renewable electricity. The high efficiency of Energy Recovery’s PX
devices increase the energy output and reduce the energy consumed
during the osmotic power generation process to ensure the
net-positive production of electricity.
“The commissioning of our pilot facility is a significant step
toward the commercialization of this game-changing renewable energy
source. According to our calculations, the global production
potential of osmotic power could exceed 1,600 terawatt hours, or
the equivalent of half of Europe’s entire energy demand,” said
Stein Erik Skilhagan, vice president of osmotic power at Statkraft.
“Although osmotic power has enormous potential, it is only
economically feasible if you reduce the cost of creating it. Energy
Recovery’s PX devices address this issue by considerably reducing
energy use, allowing us to produce renewable electricity. We
anticipate that the pilot plant will be quite successful and plan
to implement the PX technology as we scale up to a commercial
facility.”
Energy Recovery’s PX devices are currently deployed at large
seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants all over the
world. By recycling the energy typically wasted as part of the
reject stream, the PX devices—which operate at 98 percent
efficiency—reduce energy use by up to 60 percent, helping to make
desalination an affordable solution to global water scarcity.
Energy Recovery’s devices function on a similar principle in
osmotic power processes.
The osmotic power process harnesses the osmotic potential
difference between saltwater (such as seawater) and freshwater to
produce a pressurized stream of membrane permeate. Diluted
saltwater is released through a turbine that turns a generator to
produce electricity. The PX devices work in unison with
next-generation forward osmosis membranes to cost-effectively
enable stable, reliable, environmentally friendly energy production
anywhere that both freshwater and saltwater are available. The
pilot plant in Tofte, Norway is designed to produce 10 kW of
renewable energy, and by 2015, Statkraft plans to build a
full-scale osmotic power plant capable of producing 25 MW of
electricity.
“The ability to harness osmosis and turn it into a continuous
supply of clean, renewable energy is an extremely important
accomplishment for humanity and the environment. We applaud
Statkraft on opening the pilot facility as a major milestone for
osmotic power,” said Rick Stover, CTO of Energy Recovery, Inc. “We
look forward to further developments in osmotic power technology,
which could potentially use any saltwater or solution with a high
osmotic potential to generate electricity. In every case, PX energy
recovery devices will be an essential component, maintaining high
osmotic pressure and maximizing net power output through
high-efficiency performance. We look forward to playing an
important role as osmotic power evolves as a significant source of
global energy.”
About ERI
Energy Recovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:ERII) designs and develops energy
recovery devices that help make desalination affordable by
significantly reducing energy consumption. ERI’s PX Pressure
Exchanger™ (PX™) device is a rotary positive displacement pump that
recovers energy from the high pressure reject stream of seawater
reverse osmosis systems at up to 98% efficiency. With more than
7,000 PX devices deployed or under contract to be installed in
desalination plants across the globe, ERI’s technology has set the
industry standard for energy recovery devices for desalination. The
company is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with offices
in key desalination centers worldwide, including Madrid, Shanghai,
Florida and the United Arab Emirates. For more information on ERI
and PX technology, please visit www.energyrecovery.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended. Such forward-looking statements include statements about
the market potential for ERI’s products in emerging osmotic power
applications. Because such forward-looking statements involve risks
and uncertainties, including the risk that the potential for
osmotic power generation and the resulting increase in demand for
ERI’s products may not be realized, the Company's actual results
may differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking
statements. All forward-looking statements are made as of today,
and the Company assumes no obligation to update such statements.
For more details relating to the risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in
our forward-looking statements, please refer to the Company's SEC
filings.
Energy Recovery (NASDAQ:ERII)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2024 to Jun 2024
Energy Recovery (NASDAQ:ERII)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2023 to Jun 2024