February 27th, 2007
I would have to take a look again but I think this was the same company that I reported a while back. The technology involved is a pump system for desalination with the added bonus of producing renewable energy in combination with hydroelectric systems, being tested in the Gulf of Mexico, Texas. In simple terms, the power of the ocean wave pumps seawater to a land-based holding area for desalination. The salted portion of the water is returned to the sea after it is passed through hydroelectric turbines. Developed by Independent natural resources Inc., a Minnesota-based company, this technology was reported to produce anywhere between 50 to 1500 MW. Not bad.
According to the company, about 800 MW can be produced per square mile pump field. With water becoming more scarce, the viability of this project increases by a factor of 2, one for the potential benefits coming from clean water sales, and the second from the sale of clean electricity. Not bad at all!