Japan has thrown a spotlight on an innovative form of renewable energy by launching the world’s first osmotic power plant – a facility that generates electricity from the natural mixing of seawater and freshwater. In August 2025, the coastal city of Fukuoka became home to this pioneering “blue energy” project, which uses osmosis (the movement of water across a membrane) to produce clean power around the clock. The Fukuoka plant is a milestone for both Japan’s energy sector and the global pursuit of sustainable power, promising a stable, weather-proof source of electricity in a country striving for carbon neutrality by 2050. This report delves into how osmotic power works, details of Japan’s new plant (location, capacity, funding, partners), expert insights and quotes, and what this development means for Japan’s renewable strategy and the future of green energy worldwide.
What Is Osmotic Power and How Does It Work?
Osmotic power – often dubbed “blue energy” or salinity gradient power – exploits the natural process of osmosis to generate electricity. Osmosis occurs when water moves across a semipermeable membrane from a low-salinity solution to a high-salinity solution, seeking balance in salt concentration theguardian.com. In practical terms, imagine placing fresh water on one side of a special membrane and saltwater on the other. Because the membrane blocks salt but allows water to pass, the fresh water will flow into the saltier side, increasing pressure on the saltwater side theguardian.com. Osmotic power plants harness that pressure difference to drive a turbine connected to a generator, much like pressure from steam can turn a turbine in a traditional power plant theguardian.com.
At Japan’s Fukuoka facility, this principle is put into action using two water sources: concentrated seawater and fresh water (in fact, treated wastewater) separated by a membrane zerocarbonacademy.com, zmescience.com. The seawater is pressurized slightly, and as osmosis draws the fresh water across the membrane into the saltwater, the volume and pressure on the saltwater side rise theguardian.com, renewableinstitute.org. The plant channels this pressurized flow through a hydraulic turbine, converting the energy of mixing water into mechanical rotation and then electricity zerocarbonacademy.com, aa.com.tr. The process emits no carbon dioxide and uses only the natural tendency of fresh and salty water to mingle. Notably, the Fukuoka plant uses brine left over from a desalination plant as its saltwater source – making the saltwater extra salty – and treated sewage water as its freshwater source zerocarbonacademy.com, zmescience.com. Experts point out that using such concentrated brine increases the salinity gradient and boosts the energy output available zmescience.com. In essence, the plant turns what would be waste streams (desalination brine and wastewater) into fuel for power generation, a clever twist that improves efficiency and sustainability.
Japan’s Pioneering Osmotic Power Plant in Fukuoka
Officials at the launch ceremony of Fukuoka’s osmotic power plant on August 5, 2025. The banner reads “Osmotic Power Generation Facility – Start of Operations Ceremony” in Japanese.
Japan’s new osmotic power plant officially began operation on August 5, 2025 in Fukuoka Prefecture, on the country’s southwestern Kyushu island en.wikipedia.org, sj.jst.go.jp. The facility is located at the Uminonakamichi Nata Seawater Desalination Center (nicknamed “Mamizu Pia”) on the outskirts of Fukuoka City kyowa-kk.co.jp. The project was developed jointly by the Fukuoka District Waterworks Agency (which operates the region’s water supply), the City of Fukuoka, and a local engineering firm (Kyowa Corporation) as a practical-scale demonstration of osmotic energy kyowa-kk.co.jp. With a construction cost of about ¥700 million (approximately $5 million), the plant represents a significant investment in next-generation renewable technology en.wikipedia.org, fukuoka-now.com. It is Asia’s first osmotic power facility and only the second in the world to achieve continuous operation – the first being a smaller plant in Denmark that came online in 2023 zerocarbonacademy.com, theguardian.com.
Key specifications of the Fukuoka osmotic power plant highlight its pilot-scale nature. The installation has a net generation capacity of around 110 kW, expected to produce roughly 880,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year kyowa-kk.co.jp, aa.com.tr. That annual output is modest – about the amount of power needed for 220–290 Japanese households, according to various estimates zerocarbonacademy.com, gizmodo.com. (The range accounts for different assumptions of household electricity use; the plant generates enough energy for roughly 220 average homes by one measure zerocarbonacademy.com, or up to 290 homes under a lower consumption estimate gizmodo.com.) While small compared to conventional power stations, this capacity is remarkable given that it uses only the mixing of fresh and salt water as fuel. Importantly, the plant’s electricity will be used on-site to help run the desalination facility that provides drinking water to Fukuoka City and surrounding areas zerocarbonacademy.com, aa.com.tr. In other words, osmotic energy will directly support local water infrastructure – a fitting synergy, since the desalination plant in turn supplies the brine that the osmotic generator needs.
Officials in charge have emphasized that osmotic power offers a stable and continuous source of renewable energy. Unlike solar panels or wind turbines, which depend on the weather and time of day, an osmotic plant can operate 24/7 as long as it has a steady supply of fresh and salt water gizmodo.com, aa.com.tr. “It is a next-generation renewable energy source that is not affected by weather or time of day and emits no carbon dioxide,” the Fukuoka District Waterworks Agency stated aa.com.tr. This around-the-clock reliability is a major reason Japan finds the technology attractive despite its early-stage scale. The Fukuoka plant’s output (though small) is also being compared in terms of efficiency: it generates roughly the same annual energy as two soccer fields of solar panels, yet it does so consistently day and night kyowa-kk.co.jp, zmescience.com. If the plant performs well, local authorities hope to scale up the technology in the future and even replicate it elsewhere. “I feel overwhelmed that we have been able to put this into practical use. I hope it spreads not just in Japan, but across the world,” said Akihiko Tanioka, a professor emeritus and osmotic power pioneer who was visibly moved at the Fukuoka launch ceremony sj.jst.go.jp, zmescience.com.
Funding and partners: The project’s approximately ¥700 million price tag was covered by the Fukuoka District Waterworks Agency with support from Fukuoka City en.wikipedia.org, fukuoka-now.com. It is effectively a public infrastructure investment aimed at both energy innovation and climate action. Technical collaboration was key to making it a reality – the membrane technology at the heart of the plant likely benefitted from expertise by Japanese materials companies. (Japan’s Toyobo Co., for example, has developed advanced hollow-fiber membranes for osmotic power and supplied them to the world’s first pilot in Denmark toyobo-global.com. It’s reported that similar Toyobo membranes are being used to ensure efficient water flow in Fukuoka’s facility, though official details on suppliers are not widely public.) The engineering and construction were done in partnership with Kyowa Kiden (Kyowa Machinery Electric Co.), which helped design and build the osmotic generation unit in cooperation with the water agency kyowa-kk.co.jp. This multi-stakeholder approach – city government, public utility, and private tech firms – underscores how novel energy projects often require broad collaboration. The result in this case is a functioning osmotic power station that is integrated into Fukuoka’s water system and now serving as a testbed for a promising renewable energy source.
Expert Commentary and Reactions
The launch of Japan’s osmotic power plant has garnered attention from energy experts, environmental officials, and scientists, many of whom see it as a breakthrough moment for an idea that has long been theoretical. Dr. Ali Altaee, a professor at University of Technology Sydney specializing in water desalination and osmotic processes, noted the significance of the plant’s output. Generating ~880,000 kWh a year may sound small, but “that output could supply roughly 220 average Japanese households,” Altaee said – proof that osmotic power is now more than a lab experiment renewableinstitute.org. He highlighted the key advantage of osmotic energy: continuous operation. Osmotic power offers “a reliable, round-the-clock supply” of electricity by drawing energy from the constant natural mixing of fresh and salt water, Altaee explained, whereas solar and wind must contend with day/night cycles and weather variability renewableinstitute.org. This sentiment was echoed by officials in Fukuoka. Kenji Hirokawa, director of the Seawater Desalination Center running the new plant, told NHK News that osmotic generation is essentially a “stable source of electricity that can operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year” – unlike sunlight or wind, the flow of a river to the sea never sleeps gizmodo.com. Hirokawa called the project “a meaningful plan – the start of a plan, perhaps – in our response against climate change,” indicating that local authorities view this as the first step toward broader deployment if the tech proves viable gizmodo.com, zmescience.com.
However, experts are also candid about the challenges that osmotic power must overcome. Professor Sandra Kentish, a chemical engineer at the University of Melbourne who has studied osmotic energy, praised the Japanese team’s use of concentrated desalination brine (which “increases the difference in salt concentrations and thus the energy available”) zmescience.com. But she pointed out that scaling up osmotic plants will require further improvements in efficiency. “While energy is released when salt water is mixed with fresh water, a lot of energy is lost in pumping the two streams into the power plant and from the frictional loss across the membranes,” Kentish explained theguardian.com, zmescience.com. In other words, it takes energy to push water through pipes and membranes, which eats into the net gain. This has historically made osmotic power output “relatively small” in net terms renewableinstitute.org. Kentish and others are optimistic that advances in membrane materials and pump design will continue to reduce these lossestheguardian.com. Japan’s use of cutting-edge membranes and the clever pairing of waste brine with wastewater are seen as evidence that these technical hurdles are being addressed step by step zmescience.com, interestingengineering.com.
Japanese officials and researchers involved in the Fukuoka project have expressed hope and cautious excitement. The Fukuoka water agency’s spokespeople describe feeling proud to be “only the second operator in the world” to run an osmotic plant continuously sj.jst.go.jp. At the opening ceremony, as mentioned, veteran scientist Dr. Akihiko Tanioka lauded the achievement and expressed his hope to see osmotic energy spread globally sj.jst.go.jp, zmescience.com. International commentators are also weighing in. Renewable energy analysts note that while this is a pilot-scale facility, it serves as proof of concept that osmotic power can work outside the lab. “Japan has now taken a major step” in the direction of saltwater energy, wrote Gizmodo’s Gayoung Lee, adding that the country is “the second in the world to bet on osmotic power” and that its success “could lead to the proliferation of osmotic power” as an alternative to fossil fuels gizmodo.com. In short, the consensus among experts is that Japan’s project is an exciting milestone for osmotic power – demonstrating real-world feasibility – but also a reminder that further innovation is needed to make this form of energy cost-effective at larger scales.
How Osmotic Power Fits into Japan’s Renewable Energy Goals
Japan’s embrace of osmotic power comes as part of a broader national push toward clean energy diversification. The Japanese government has pledged to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, and to achieve this, it is ramping up investment in various renewable and low-carbon energy sources eia.gov, iea.org. In fact, Japan’s Strategic Energy Plan calls for renewables (mostly solar, wind, hydro, and others) to account for 36–38% of the electricity mix by 2030, up from roughly 18% in 2019iea.org. By 2040, Japan is targeting 40–50% of power from renewables, according to draft plans, alongside about 20% from nuclear energy reuters.com. Meeting these goals will require not only expanding familiar technologies like solar panels and offshore wind farms, but also exploring innovative sources of energy – especially those that can provide stable output and reduce reliance on imported fuels.
In this context, osmotic power is seen as a potentially valuable addition to Japan’s energy toolkit. The country has abundant coastlines and rivers, meaning there are many locations where freshwater meets the sea (for example, river estuaries, bays, and in this case a desalination plant outfall). These sites are prospective goldmines for blue energy if the technology can be scaled up. While osmotic power is still in early days, Japan’s government and industry stakeholders are actively researching various forms of ocean-based renewables – including tidal energy, wave energy, and ocean thermal energy conversion – to complement more established renewables. The Fukuoka osmotic plant underscores Japan’s strategy to diversify beyond just solar and wind and develop a more resilient clean energy mix oilprice.com. By investing in hydropower upgrades, offshore wind, and now salinity gradient power, Japan aims to ensure it has reliable green power sources that can run day and night, smoothing out the intermittency of solar and wind oilprice.com.
It’s worth noting that Japan’s interest in osmotic power also aligns with its focus on energy security and innovation. Ever since the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, Japan has been seeking ways to reduce dependency on imported fossil fuels and fill the gap left by idled nuclear reactors. This has led to a solar boom domestically (Japan is one of the world’s top solar PV installers) and growing interest in other renewables. Osmotic power, though experimental, offers a form of baseload renewable energy – something that can produce a steady output, potentially helping stabilize the grid. Japanese ministries and agencies (like NEDO – the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) have funded research into “marine energy” including osmotic processes. The Fukuoka project itself was framed as an effort “toward realizing a decarbonized society” using a natural phenomenon (osmosis) f-suiki.or.jp. In press releases, the city and waterworks agency explicitly tie the project to Japan’s climate goals, calling it a step to contribute to global CO₂ reduction efforts kyowa-kk.co.jp, f-suiki.or.jp. In summary, while osmotic power will remain a tiny fraction of Japan’s energy mix in the near term, the successful launch of this plant fits into a larger narrative: Japan is willing to lead and experiment with novel technologies to reach its ambitious renewable energy targets and address climate change.
Osmotic Power vs. Other Renewables: Scalability, Cost, and Environmental Impact
How does osmotic power compare to more established renewable energy sources like solar, wind, or hydropower? Each clean energy technology has its pros and cons, and osmotic power brings a unique set of characteristics:
- Scalability: Traditional renewables like solar PV and wind turbines are highly scalable today – solar farms and wind parks can be expanded relatively easily, and their technologies are mature and mass-produced. Osmotic power, by contrast, is in a pilot phase. The Fukuoka plant’s capacity (~0.1 MW) is tiny compared to modern solar farms (which can be tens or hundreds of MW) or wind farms. However, osmotic power has theoretical scalability in that the resource base is large (wherever freshwater meets saltwater). A 2019 estimate suggested osmotic energy could potentially supply up to 2.6 TW globally (around 13,000 TWh per year) if fully tapped zerocarbonacademy.com – roughly 15% of worldwide electricity demand by 2050 zerocarbonacademy.com, zmescience.com. Achieving this would require huge advances in membrane tech and many installations at river mouths. For now, osmotic plants are modest, experimental facilities; scaling them up will depend on whether costs can be brought down and efficiencies improved. Wind and solar still have a significant head start in deployment.
- Cost: In terms of cost per kilowatt-hour, osmotic power is currently much more expensive than mainstream renewables. The Fukuoka plant’s price (~¥700 million for 110 kW capacity) implies a capital cost on the order of ¥6.4 million per kW (over $40,000 per kW) – far higher than solar or wind installations en.wikipedia.org, fukuoka-now.com. As a demonstration project, it wasn’t optimized for cost, and future larger osmotic plants should benefit from economies of scale. But presently, solar and wind are far cheaper options for new power generation in terms of dollars per kWh. For example, solar farms produce power at just a few cents per kWh in many regions, thanks to decades of cost decline. Osmotic power tech is where solar was perhaps 40+ years ago – concept proven, but costs need to drop drastically. Researchers are working on cheaper, more efficient membranes and energy recovery systems to make osmotic energy economically competitive. One positive aspect is that osmotic plants could piggyback on existing infrastructure (like desalination plants or river dams) to share costs. Also, osmotic energy has an inherent capacity factor advantage: it runs 24/7, potentially delivering a high utilization of installed capacity, whereas solar panels only generate ~15–20% of the time (daylight hours) and wind maybe 30–50% depending on location. This means a smaller osmotic plant (in MW) could yield as many kWh per year as a larger solar plant, if run continuously. Still, until technology matures, osmotic power will require supportive funding (grants or subsidies) to be deployed, as was the case with early wind and solar projects.
- Reliability and Intermittency: A standout feature of osmotic power is its continuous reliability. It is a form of baseload renewable power – as long as there is a flow of river or wastewater into the sea, the plant can generate electricity day and night, in any weather gizmodo.com, aa.com.tr. In contrast, solar energy is intermittent (no output at night, reduced on cloudy days) and wind energy is variable (calm days reduce output). To maintain grid stability, solar and wind usually need backup storage or complementary sources. Osmotic power could complement these by providing a steady output to cover base demand. Its predictability is more akin to hydropower (dammed rivers) or geothermal, which also deliver steady power. Of course, extreme environmental events (droughts affecting river flow, for instance) could affect osmotic generation, but generally it’s as reliable as the water cycle itself. In Japan’s case, the osmotic plant is fed by a controlled desalination process and a wastewater plant, so it’s quite insulated from natural fluctuations – another advantage of co-locating with existing water infrastructure.
- Environmental impact: All renewables have vastly lower greenhouse emissions than fossil fuels, but they come with different local environmental impacts. Solar farms require significant land area and can alter land use (though panels can be placed on rooftops or deserts, minimizing ecological impact). Wind turbines can affect bird/bat populations and create visual/noise concerns, though land around turbines (e.g., farmland) is often still usable. Hydropower (dams) has one of the biggest ecological footprints: dams flood large areas, disrupt river ecosystems and fish migration, and alter sediment flows. Osmotic power plants, in comparison, might have a relatively small footprint. The Fukuoka plant is built at an existing desalination facility, occupying part of an industrial site. There’s no massive dam or large structure altering a natural landscape – just pipes, tanks, and membranes mostly housed in a plant building. The process itself is benign: mixing fresh and salt water that would eventually mix in nature anyway. One environmental consideration is the brine discharge: after extracting energy, you end up with mixed water of intermediate salinity that gets released. In the Fukuoka case, because they start with very salty brine and fresh water, the outflow is likely close to normal seawater salinity (the process essentially dilutes the brine with freshwater) zmescience.com. This could actually reduce the environmental impact of desalination (normally, desal plants dump super-salty brine back into the ocean, which can harm marine life locally; using that brine for energy dilutes it first). Thus, osmotic power can be synergistic with wastewater treatment and desalination in an environmentally positive way. The main environmental footprint is manufacturing the membranes (which are often made of polymers) and the need to periodically replace them, which generates waste. However, membrane technology is similar to what’s used in water treatment and has manageable disposal procedures. There is also the need for intake of water: large osmotic plants at river mouths might have to divert some river flow and seawater – intake systems would need fish screens and careful design to avoid harming aquatic organisms (much like any power plant or desal plant intake). Overall, osmotic power appears to have a low environmental impact relative to its energy output: no emissions, minimal land use, and potentially even mitigating some waste (brine).
- Resource limitations: Solar requires sunlight; wind requires wind; osmotic power requires a freshwater-saltwater interface. This means osmotic plants are geographically limited to coastal areas where rivers or wastewater can be used, or to sites with existing high-salinity water (even salt lakes). Not every country has suitable locations (landlocked regions can’t use it, for instance). Japan, with its long coastline and many rivers, is well-suited. Many of the world’s major cities are near river deltas (think of megacities at river mouths in Asia, or in Europe the Rhine/Meuse, etc.), so globally there are many possible sites. But unlike solar which literally every country can use, osmotic energy is location-specific. It might compete or coincide with tidal power sites (estuaries could host both tidal turbines and osmotic rigs). Also, the availability of large quantities of fresh water is a factor – one wouldn’t want to deplete freshwater resources purely to generate power. Ideally, osmotic plants use wastewater or excess river flow that would otherwise go into the sea unused. Japan’s approach of using treated sewage is a smart way to avoid diverting potable water for energy. In places suffering water scarcity, osmotic power might not be priority unless paired with desalination as an efficiency booster.
In summary, osmotic power’s continuous generation is a huge plus, but technical and cost barriers currently make it a niche player compared to solar, wind, and hydro. Its environmental footprint is relatively small and can even provide ecological benefits (by reusing brine and wastewater). The coming years will reveal if osmotic technology can scale up and drive down costs akin to the trajectory solar and wind followed. If it can, osmotic power could become an important complement in the renewable portfolio – providing dependable baseline energy and leveraging the planet’s vast and perpetual mixing of fresh and salt water.
Global Implications and Future Outlook for Osmotic Energy
Japan’s Fukuoka osmotic power plant is not just a local or national achievement – it has global significance as a proof-of-concept that osmotic energy can be harnessed practically. The successful operation of this plant (along with its Danish predecessor) is likely to spur increased international interest and investment in salinity-gradient power. Around the world, researchers and startups have been experimenting with osmotic energy for years, but with limited operational projects until now. Norway’s state utility Statkraft ran a pioneering prototype osmotic plant in Tofte in 2009, proving the concept but later closing it to work on better membranes. Danish startup SaltPower then built the first fully functional plant in Mariager, Denmark, which began continuous operation in 2023 theguardian.com. That plant uses custom membranes (with help from Toyobo) and produces a comparable amount of power to Fukuoka’s. The Japanese plant’s debut in 2025 makes it the world’s second operating osmotic plant (and the first in Asia), signaling that the technology is moving beyond one-off experiments theguardian.com, zmescience.com.
The global renewable energy community is watching closely. If Japan’s plant runs reliably and meets its performance targets, it could “establish the blueprint” for other countries to follow oilprice.com. Countries with abundant river outflows or desalination activities – for example, coastal nations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia – may consider building osmotic power generators to both manage brine and produce clean energy. The fact that a major economy like Japan is championing this technology lends it credibility. Already, there are reports of other osmotic projects in development: a French company, Sweetch Energy, has a pilot called “Osmo‐Rhône” planned at the Rhône River delta in France zerocarbonacademy.com; South Korea tested a pilot plant in the past theguardian.com; and researchers in Australia, Spain, and Qatar have built lab-scale or prototype systems theguardian.com, zmescience.com. Dr. Altaee in Australia mentioned that their university’s prototype could be revived with proper funding, noting that regions like New South Wales have salt lakes and the know-how to use them for power theguardian.com, renewableinstitute.org. We may soon see a wave of osmotic energy demonstrations in various parts of the world, as Fukuoka’s example provides practical data and confidence.
Looking ahead, the future developments in osmotic power will likely focus on overcoming current limitations. One key area is material science: developing membranes that have higher water permeability, better salt rejection, and longer lifespans. Improved membranes can dramatically boost efficiency and lower maintenance costs (much like better solar cells improved solar panel output over time). Companies like Toyobo and other chemical firms are working on next-gen membranes specifically for PRO (Pressure Retarded Osmosis) and RED (Reverse Electrodialysis, an alternative osmotic method) zerocarbonacademy.com. Another area is energy recovery and system design – finding ways to recover pressure energy and optimize the hydraulics so that minimal pumping energy is wasted. If future osmotic plants can achieve a significantly positive net energy output (i.e. the electricity generated far exceeds the electricity used to run pumps), their economics will improve. Experts are also looking at hybrid systems: for instance, combining osmotic power with hydropower or solar in unified projects. An intriguing synergy is using osmotic plants at hydroelectric dams or in pumped-storage reservoirs where fresh and saltwater layers exist, thus getting dual use from infrastructure.
From a global climate perspective, osmotic power’s potential to meet a substantial chunk of energy demand is enticing. The estimation that it could supply ~15% of world electricity by 2050 (if scaled up) zerocarbonacademy.com, zmescience.com underscores that it’s one of the larger untapped renewable resources on Earth. For comparison, wind and solar are each projected to contribute 20–30% each of global electricity by mid-century in many scenarios, so 15% from osmotic would be highly impactful. Of course, reaching that level would mean thousands of osmotic power plants worldwide, large and small. We may imagine in the future estuaries equipped with rows of membrane modules quietly generating power as rivers flow into the ocean. It could also play a role in remote or off-grid areas: for instance, communities at river deltas or islands with both freshwater and saltwater could use small osmotic generators to produce power locally without needing fuel.
Environmental and societal implications are also positive if managed well. Osmotic power produces no air pollution or greenhouse gases, and it could potentially help mitigate issues like brine disposal from desalination (a growing environmental concern in water-scarce regions that rely on desalination). By extracting energy from brine and diluting it, osmotic plants turn a waste product into useful output. The technology might also foster new industries and jobs in membrane manufacturing and marine energy engineering. Countries strong in water technologies (like Japan, Denmark, the Netherlands, etc.) could become leaders in osmotic power tech exports, similar to how Denmark became a leader in wind turbines.
There are still questions to be answered on the path forward. Can osmotic power plants be made large enough to matter, say, 5 MW or 10 MW facilities at major river outlets? What marine permitting or ecological studies will be required to ensure aquatic life isn’t harmed? How often will membranes need replacement and can they be recycled? These are the kinds of issues pilot projects like Fukuoka will help clarify. The data collected from Fukuoka’s operation (on power output, maintenance needs, membrane fouling rates, etc.) will be invaluable for designing next-generation plants.
In conclusion, Japan’s launch of this osmotic power plant in Fukuoka is a historic step for renewable energy. It demonstrates a novel way to generate electricity – by simply mixing saltwater and freshwater – in a controllable and continuous process. This “blue energy” innovation not only supports Japan’s own clean energy transition and climate goals, but also serves as an inspiration globally. As Japan’s environment minister might say, every bit of innovation helps in the fight against climate change, and with osmotic power, we are quite literally tapping into the power of the oceans and rivers to light our cities. The world will be watching Fukuoka’s experiment closely. If successful, the humble meeting of river and sea could become an engine of the planet’s energy future, turning the tide (and salinity) in favor of a more sustainable world.
Sources:
- Ima Caldwell, The Guardian – “Japan has opened its first osmotic power plant – so what is it and how does it work?” (25 Aug 2025) theguardian.com
- Lauren Foye, Zero Carbon Academy – “Japan takes the plunge with blue energy: The nation’s first osmotic power plant opens in Fukuoka” (28 Aug 2025) zerocarbonacademy.com
- Japan Science & Technology Agency (via Kyodo News) – “Japan’s 1st osmotic power plant begins operating in Fukuoka” (25 Aug 2025) sj.jst.go.jp
- Gayoung Lee, Gizmodo – “Japanese Power Plant Turns Saltwater Into Electricity — and It’s a Glimpse Into the Future” (26 Aug 2025) gizmodo.com
- Tudor Tarita, ZME Science – “Japan Just Switched on Asia’s First Osmotic Power Plant, Which Runs 24/7 on Nothing But Fresh Water and Seawater” (28 Aug 2025) zmescience.com
- The Renewable Energy Institute – “Japan’s First Osmotic Power Plant: What It Means for Clean Energy” (2025) renewableinstitute.org
- Felicity Bradstock, OilPrice.com – “Japan Launches World’s Second Osmotic Power Plant in Fukuoka” (3 Sep 2025) oilprice.com
- Science Japan (JST) – Press image of opening ceremony (5 Aug 2025) sj.jst.go.jp
- Kyowa Corporation News – “‘Osmotic Power Generation’ facility begins operation” (press release, 19 Aug 2025) kyowa-kk.co.jp
- Anadolu Agency – “Japan’s 1st osmotic power plant begins operations” (17 Aug 2025) aa.com.tr
