High waves pound the coast of Yeonggeumjeong Pavilion in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, northeastern South Korea, on Aug. 9, 2021. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The city of Donghae in Gangwon Province is stepping up to address climate change by commercializing salinity gradient energy.
Salinity gradient power generates electricity using the difference in salt concentration between fresh water from a sewage treatment plant and saltwater from a nearby ocean.
It is capable of ultra-long-life energy storage and generation, solving the intermittence problem faced by renewable energy.
The city government on Friday signed an agreement with the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), the Korea Institute of Energy Research, and Dream Engineering Co. to cooperate in achieving zero carbon emissions and becoming a global center for marine energy.
Based on the agreement, the consortium will work on developing and improving renewable marine technology, establishing relevant networks, and training new professionals.
The city government will invest 10 billion won (US$7.49 million) to carry out a demonstration project of a 100-kilowatt salinity gradient power facility near the city’s sewage processing facility in 2024 and 2025, which will be funded by KHNP.
It aims to develop the project for a megawatt-scale facility to commercialize salinity gradient energy from 2026 onwards.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
