Salt: The Hidden Power Source of the Future
Just Between Us, and Anyone Who Believes That Salt Can Generate Power
MediSun
7 Min Read
Introduction
For centuries, humanity has sought to harness nature - sunlight, wind, and water, to generate power. Yet one element, long central to civilization, has remained overlooked: salt.
From its role as currency in the Roman Empire to its value in food and science, salt has shaped economies and cultures. Today, it holds the key to a new energy frontier.
Salinity Gradient Power (SGP), the process of extracting energy from the difference in salt concentration between two water bodies, has been studied for over 50 years. Now, it’s time to take it from the lab to the real world.
We envision a future where every river estuary becomes a natural power plant. Where coastlines do more than mark borders, they power cities.
Over the past decade, renewables have reached cost parity with, or even outperformed, fossil fuels. This gives us the confidence that SGP can join the energy mix. Not as an alternative, but as part of the base load.
To accelerate this shift, we must apply three key lessons:
Start with niche applications.
Trust is built where performance is proven. Targeted deployment builds momentum.Leverage regulatory tailwinds.
Brine disposal is no longer a waste issue, it’s an untapped resource. Policy can unlock pathways for deployment.Prove environmental and economic synergy.
We don’t have to choose between profit and planet. SGP delivers both.
The technology is ready. The opportunity is vast. The time is now.
The Niche Application
Desalination is one of the most energy-hungry processes on the planet. We're using that as our proving ground where Reverse electrodialysis can be used to neutralize the brine together with RO and help reduce the specific energy consumption (SEC).
My plan here is to commence with brine mining - yes, extracting minerals like magnesium and calcium from water.
Fund the Future With Brine Mining
Strategically Reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE)
Salt Gradient Power (SGP) must become cost-effective to drive adoption. Our model draws from the historical price trajectories of solar and wind energy, which achieved 70-90% cost reductions in just over a decade.
To make Salt Gradient Power viable, we need to make it cheap. Really cheap. That means: -
Cheaper stacks → Source and manufacture out of Asia.
Cheaper membranes → Open source the design.
Higher volume → Lower costs and better standardization.
This triangulated approach directly contributes to downward LCOE pressure, aligning with global benchmarks.
Use Desalination To Fund Power
Every emerging tech fights a battle against price.
Energy is expensive. Desalination is worse. So, we solve the worst first.
We power desalination plants using wastewater and brine.
We manufacture RED stacks in Asia to reduce costs. By doing so, we get:
More stack production
Lowered cost through volume
A proving ground for the tech
This isn't just sustainability. It's circular efficiency. This proof of concept lays the groundwork for broader energy applications and further LCOE reductions.
Open The Gates, Grow The Market
Upon achieving deployment of 1,000 SGP units, we will open-source the Medisun stack architecture, inviting global partners to innovate alongside us.
This fosters collective advancement of the sector while positioning Medisun as the premier supplier of critical components such as membranes.
We believe that collaborative ecosystems - even with comrades in SGP like Sweetch and Redstack, catalyse accelerated price parity.
Because energy transformation isn't a solo project. The only way SGP becomes mainstream is if everyone builds on it. It's not about owning the whole pie, it's about growing it. We'll provide the hard parts - membranes and key components. But we want others to build, improve, and scale with us.
Deploy Full-scale Power Plant
With momentum, proven tech and a supply chain in place, we move into full-scale power generation.
Unlike wind and solar, SGP is weather-independent. It operates continuously, offering the potential to deliver consistent, round-the-clock electricity. With advances in material science, nanotechnology, and process engineering, the energy landscape is primed for a solution that doesn't rely on intermittent natural forces. Our innovation is designed not only to match traditional generation, but to exceed it in sustainability, reliability, and scalability.
SGP doesn't care if the sun's shining or the wind's blowing. It just works day and night, 24/7, 365. In a world seeking energy security, we provide consistency.
While others wait for the breeze or a sunny day, SGP powers on.
Why Now?
Historical trends favour us: -
Photovoltaics took over a century to reach viability; we project less than a decade for SGP.
Solar LCOE fell from $450 to $50 in just 12 years.
Wind LCOE dropped from $110 to $30 in 13 years.
Technology breakthroughs are pushing theoretical limits
Simultaneously, the global market is grappling with: -
Escalating mineral costs
Supply chain fragmentation
Reduced geopolitical reliability
SGP slots into this intersection of opportunity and urgency.
Our Visions
“Theoretical limits are just today's assumptions waiting to be disproven.”
Limits are often illusions of current understanding. Theoretical limits aren't permanent. Solar's ceiling was 33.7% until someone broke it recently. Much like how solar technology transcended its perceived efficiency ceiling, SGP promises a new era in saltwater-powered innovation.
The Big Idea
“If affordability is key, standardize and scale; if ubiquity is the goal, open the gates.”
Our five-fold strategy is: -
Develop and commercialize SGP technology.
Use brine mining and desalination to fund and scale.
Open source our design to grow the ecosystem.
Retain supply rights for core components.
Power the world - quietly, cleanly, and constantly.
We're not asking the world to believe in a dream.
We're just asking them to believe in math, science, and the power of salt.
We build it - stack by stack, brine by brine.
Just look at history, then watch us.