IIT Madras researches to pursue ‘blue energy’ as alternatives

Osmotic power generation happens when a semipermeable membrane (layer) separates salt water from fresh water with resultant pressure being converted into electricity.

Assistant Professor, Dr Vishal Nandigana in Fluid Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, said that rapidly dwindling fossil fuel reserves, coupled with concerns of environmental pollution and global warming issues associated with traditional sources of fuel, have led to exploration of alternate sources of energy.

“Solar, wind and biofuels are being actively pursued but new and out-of-the-box ideas are being explored all over the world. One of these sources is osmotic power generation, now being referred by experts as blue energy,” he added.

Stating that the present available molybdenum sulphide membrane in the country produces high power density than other membranes, Nadigana said the increase in power generation compared to earlier research is because of the use of single atomic layer of molybdenum. The single-layer atomic thickness of the membrane and the surface charge density due to the pores add to the power conversion efficiency. According to him, the IIT Madras team is trying to be the first to produce membranes in the scale of square centimetres rather than square micrometres (that are currently possible), with future plans to increase size further.

“This is based on the calculation that a single membrane, roughly one square meter wide would generate enough power to light up 50,000 energy-saving light bulbs,” he added.

Stating that the 2019 review in ‘Nature Review Materials’ also focuses on the opportunities and the challenges associated with this technology, hesaid IIT-M is makingefforts to grow larger in this technology.