The world's first osmotic power plant was unveiled recently in Norway. The plant harnesses energy by allowing freshwater and seawater to meet on either side of a membrane, an action that creates energy by putting pressure on the seawater side. The developers claim that osmotic power can produce a stable electricity flow regardless of weather conditions. Osmosis has been previously used by industry to desalinate seawater, but this, it is claimed, is the first time it has been used to produce energy. The estimated global potential of osmotic energy has been put at 1,700 terrawatt hours (TWh) a year, equivalent to half of the EU’s energy production.