Dutch based renewable energy scale-up REDstack is well known for its ground breaking technology development whereby electricity is harvested from seawater and freshwater by reversing electrodialysis stacks. The research and development led to a pilot plant in The Netherlands, where laboratory tests were replaced by the real time environment on the Afsluitdijk, a barrier separating the Waddenzee (saltwater) and the IJselmeer (freshwater lake) successfully proving the concept from both water intakes to supplying electricity to the grid.
At the heart of the process are electro-membrane stacks where freshwater and seawater flows separated by selective membranes, allowing positive and negative ions to pass through, each in one direction only, thus creating an electrochemical cell.
The energy transition has increased the interest in this sustainable clean energy source, continuous without CO2 emissions and without significant environmental, ecological or sociological impact.
In the recent months REDstack has also been active overseas and established REDstack Energy India Private Limited to produce Blue Energy in India. Interest is raised for the application of osmotic power in this growing economy.
Closer to home in The Netherlands, REDstack has received green light from the provinces of Friesland, Groningen and Noord-Holland to apply for an investment subsidy from the Waddenfonds (Investeringskader Waddenfonds). The aim of the project is to realize a 16.5 kW Blue Energy installation and scale up to industrial size stacks.
The optimisation of this Reversed ElectroDialysis stack design has also opened up new opportunities for REDstack, applying the gained knowledge of stack building to desalination of brackish water by means of electrodialysis. The first stacks are now being built for applications in the Netherlands.
Taking the process design knowledge even further, REDstack is now also used as supplier of Electro-membrane stacks for applications also in combination with bipolar membranes. Several different pilot projects are scheduled with major European water treatment companies to commence in 2023. For projects like this REDstack is working close together with Pure Water Group (PWG) who provide skid mounted solutions integrating the stacks with the required piping, pumps and electrical control cabinets.
Source: RedStack
