Blue is the New Green: Blue Engergy

By Sean Kim '20

“Green energy advocates may soon be turning blue.”

In a time of environmental deterioration due to rapid population growth and industrial expansion, many environmental activists and scientists have sought out a source of green energy––renewable energy accumulated from resources that are naturally replenished. However, the recent discovery of a new membrane holds the potential future of “blue energy.”

Similar to the widely known and praised green energy, the newly found blue energy is derived from natural sources: rivers. Using the chemical difference between freshwater and saltwater found within the border of rivers and oceans, researches have predicted this carbonless method for power can generate more than enough electricity for millions of individuals.

To scale blue energy’s potential on a yearly basis, rivers pour around 37,000 cubic kilometers of freshwater into the ocean, which can theoretically generate 2.6 terawatts of electricity due to the intersection between freshwater and saltwater. The estimated amount of electricity roughly translates to the same amount of energy that can be generated by 2,000 nuclear power plants.

The mechanics behind blue energy are reflected by the flow of electrons from the negatively charged to the positively charged side due to the salts creating ions. Once the officials input electrodes in the body of water and connect them with a wire, the difference in charge will generate electricity.

There is one downside to this seemingly revolutionary technology: the high costs. However, now, researchers are formulating an improved approach of increasing the number of open pores within the membrane films which could possibly further exploit this process. Someday, the improvement of blue energy could be the main source of clean energy.

ServiceDec, Robert F., et al. “Rivers Could Generate Thousands of Nuclear Power Plants Worth of Energy, Thanks to a New 'Blue' Membrane.” Science, 6 Dec. 2019, www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/12/rivers-could-generate-thousands-nuclear-power-plants-worth-energy-thanks-new-blue?utm_campaign=news_daily_2019-12-04&et_rid=552844324&et_cid=3110212.