Month: June 2024

French renewables startup Sweetch Energy will rely on extensive domain expertise and global presence from Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) to help scale its osmotic power generation technology.

Osmotic energy is naturally generated by the difference in salinity between freshwater and seawater. The INOD® (Ionic Nano Osmotic Diffusion) technology developed by Sweetch Energy is the first technology of its kind to be marketed on an industrial scale.

Using Rockwell’s turnkey process control platform and visualization technology, Sweetch Energy will optimize its unique zero-carbon electricity generation technology in its first osmotic demonstrator plant at the Barcarin lock in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, France. The company plans to deploy several osmotic stations at the mouth of the Rhône to harness natural osmotic energy. These stations will represent up to 500 MW of carbon-free electricity production capacity, capable of supplying more than 1.5 million people – the equivalent to the population of cities such as Marseille and its surrounding areas, Barcelona, Amsterdam, or Montreal.

Manufactured using environmentally friendly bio-sourced materials, the osmotic generators can be located at any estuary or delta. Water is the only input in the process and is fully returned to the river mouth, with no chemical waste or pollutants created. And, unlike other renewables, it is not dependent on weather conditions and can produce clean electricity continuously.

Rockwell technologies will be used to automate, control, and monitor the system as well as optimize the process and power-generation efficiency. The technology to be deployed at the pilot plant is also highly scalable, allowing Sweetch Energy to create standardized, modular, with worldwide support for installations of any size, anywhere.

Learn more about Rockwell’s sustainably advantaged solutions.

As published on the Pentair Blog.

Pentair Pool is furthering its mission of helping people safely and sustainably enjoy water by continuing to highlight the importance of water safety awareness and learning to swim through a commitment to support Step Into Swim, an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA). Pentair’s commitment to a Diamond Level sponsorship was announced at the U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials in Indianapolis, IN, and will help increase access to swim lessons and water safety resources across North America.

“Pentair Pool has been a longtime advocate of water safety and an incredible partner to PHTA, and we are thrilled to expand that partnership through their generous support of Step Into Swim,” said Olympic Gold Medalist Rowdy Gaines, PHTA Vice President of Partnerships & Development, who leads the Step Into Swim initiative. “Thanks to Pentair Pool, children around the country will learn to be safer and more confident in and around the water — a lifelong skill that saves lives.”

Together, Pentair Pool and Step Into Swim will help provide learn-to-swim programming for thousands of children annually. Pentair Pool, a long-standing proponent of water safety education, has sponsored water safety programming, including the annual National Water Safety Month initiative, for nearly 10 years.

“At Pentair Pool our mission is to help people safely and sustainably enjoy water,” said Greg Claffey, PHTA board member and Pentair Pool president. “This partnership exemplifies our commitment to supporting the communities in which we live and work by helping to safely advance the next generation of swimmers.”

Step Into Swim supporters provide the lifesaving skill of learning to swim and raising awareness for the aquatic industry’s role in improving public health and safety. In 2023, Step Into Swim raised over $1.4 million, which provided grants to more than 100 facilities in 32 states and Canada and funded swim lessons for 23,500 children. The initiative has gifted more than 330,000 swim lessons since 2012. The program is funded through partner contributions, which are integral for advancing the mission. Every dollar donated goes directly to learn-to-swim programming. To learn more, visit www.stepintoswim.com.