Statkraft isn't blinkered when it comes to the challenge of making this technology pay off.

FORBES: Getting Power From Salty Water

Now scientists at Norwegian renewable-energy company Statkraft aim to use osmosis to generate electric power.

FORBES: Getting Power From Salty Water

By 2003, Statkraft was testing a prototype so small that one version still sits on Skilhagen's desk.

FORBES: Getting Power From Salty Water

"The membrane is the real challenge, " says Stein Eirk Skilhagen, vice president of the Osmotic Power project at Statkraft.

FORBES: Getting Power From Salty Water

Since then, Statkraft has greatly scaled up the size of its osmotic generators.

FORBES: Getting Power From Salty Water

Statkraft isn't disclosing its secrets, except to say that its magic membrane is made of a polymer similar to plastic and extremely thin.

FORBES: Getting Power From Salty Water

If all goes according to plan, Statkraft hopes to have a full-scale plant operational, generating up to 100 megawatts a year within seven years' time.

FORBES: Getting Power From Salty Water

But it gained significant momentum in 1997, when it caught the attention of Statkraft, which had already established itself as a leading player on the emerging-energy scene in Europe.

FORBES: Getting Power From Salty Water

By tapping some 20 scientists at research centers across Europe, Statkraft eventually found a membrane that can work for a small-scale plant, though it's not quite enough for a larger operation.

FORBES: Getting Power From Salty Water

It's a tantalizing prospect: Based on an estimate of the number of rivers around the world with suitable conditions, it's a potential source of 1, 700 terawatt hours a year of energy globally, according to estimates by Statkraft's scientists.

FORBES: Getting Power From Salty Water