Delvin student champions ‘osmotic power’ as Ireland’s untapped clean energy goldmine

While Ireland focuses heavily on wind and solar energy, a fifth-year student from Coláiste Mhuire believes the country is overlooking a “fully reliable” power source hidden where rivers meet the sea.

Ben Poynton from Delvin has presented a compelling investigation into osmotic power – a process that generates electricity by mixing fresh water and salt water through a semi-permeable membrane.

To explain the complex science, Ben uses a simple analogy. “Think of your facecloth: water can go through, but solids cannot,” he explains.

In an osmotic power plant, fresh water passes through a membrane into brine (water saturated with salt). This movement creates pressure and increases the speed of the water flow, which is then used to spin a turbine and generate electricity.

“It is a fully clean source of energy – no emissions, and very minor impacts on ecological habitats compared to other energy sources,” Ben says. Crucially, he notes that unlike wind or solar, which depend on the weather, osmosis is constant. “It’s just as reliable as coal and oil, just that it’s fully clean.”

Despite its potential, Ben’s research revealed that osmotic power is virtually unknown in Ireland. In a survey he conducted of 270 people, only five had ever heard of it.

“I was looking at the news during the first week of school and saw an article saying Japan had opened the second-ever osmotic power plant,” Ben says.

“It followed from there. I was wondering: this technology is so valuable, why don’t we do something like this?”

Ben argues that Ireland is uniquely positioned to replicate the success of countries like Denmark and Japan.

He believes the technology fits perfectly into a circular economy, particularly as Ireland looks to increase water production for agriculture and growing cities.

“In the future, we would have to up water production to help sustain agriculture and urban expansion,” Ben notes.

“Brine would have to be produced in order to generate fresh water for these cities. Using this method of generating electricity would not only be generally helpful, but also help clean up the environment.”

By utilising Ireland’s abundant salt water and river systems, Ben believes the country could create a domestic, low-cost energy supply that runs 24/7, regardless of whether the sun shines or the wind blows.