Member - Sweetch Energy

Sweetch Energy was founded in 2015 to design INOD®, a new generation membrane-based technology applying most recent innovations in nanofluidics and materials, specifically designed for the large scale electricity generation from osmotic energy. The INOD® technology encompasses two major breakthroughs: the application of the recently discovered diffusio-osmosis principle, and the use of bio-based, low-cost, and highly scalable materials for its membrane. Diffusio-osmosis was discovered in the early-2010’s by a group of researchers from CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), led by Lydéric Bocquet, who identified a new way to capture energy generated from salinity gradients between two distinct bodies of water. This first scientific breakthrough opened the door to the creation of a new generation of membranes which were not based on traditional molecular steric selectivity principles but on surface phenomenons. For 5 years, Sweetch Energy conducted research in this sense, aiming to finding a new membrane material that could have the properties observed in Pr. Bocquet’s lab whilst being economically competitive and bio sourced. Eventually, the research team led by Bruno Mottet, one of Sweetch Energy’s cofounders, was able to develop said membrane. Coupled with proprietary system design and components, the membranes combined high ionic selectivity with high ionic transport reaching unparalleled power generation performances (20x higher than previous technologies). This was the second breakthrough, as all the former osmotic technologies were now far behind on both the economic and environmental scale. Thus, today, the revolutionary INOD® technology developed by Sweetch Energy allows, for the first time ever, to exploit osmotic energy and produce large-scale, non-intermittent, emission-free electricity at a competitive cost. This European funded technology creates the opportunity to emerge as the new renewable baseload power production, bringing a sustainable solution to the replacement of CO2 intensive capacities, specifically in areas where other renewable sources (such as wind or solar) are less available, or where their intermittency creates electrical grid management issues. Sweetch Energy business model is to become an independent power producer (IPP) using exclusively osmotic energy. Therefore, we plan to apply proven methods from the existing industry to manufacture our INOD® generators and develop, construct, and operate osmotic power plants, independently or in collaboration with local partners. We have already partnered with two main utilities (Electricité de France – EDF and Compagnie Nationale du Rhone – CNR) for industrial partnerships, and we are currently discussing with other international players. INOD® is a proprietary technology of Sweetch Energy protected by 6 patents.