Rural and remote communities in Northern Ontario rely on diesel generators as their main source of power. Diesel-generated electricity has a large carbon footprint and it is not an economically feasible source of energy, thus there is a vast interest in using alternative energy sources. Osmotic power is considered one of the promising techniques of renewable energy generation. The technical and ecological potential of osmotic power plants in Ontario is investigated in this study along with an

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... erview of the costs involved. The estimated technical power production from Ontario rivers is around 3.2 GW, whereas, the ecological power production is estimated to be about 473.3 MW. The total membrane cost is estimated to be $2,000 for each kW installed within a few years, which represents about 70% of the total plant capital cost. According to the findings of this study, osmotic power systems represent an economically feasible alternative to other clean sources of renewable energy such as wind and solar systems.