The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced an investment of more than $18 million for 27 R&D projects focused on advancing marine energy and offshore wind technologies with the goal of more widely deploying renewable energy sources. These projects at 17 universities, including five minority-serving institutions, will address challenges facing marine and ocean renewable energy industries and spur innovation and development.
“The oceans hold incredible potential for renewable energy to power homes, businesses, and even offshore work such as marine research,” said Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “These projects harness the creativity of researchers at universities across the country to spur innovation in marine and ocean renewable energy.”
Marine energy refers to power harnessed from waves, tides, ocean and river currents, and even from differences in ocean salt levels, temperatures, and pressure. These resources are abundant, geographically diverse, and complementary to other renewable energy sources, like wind energy and solar power. While marine energy is not yet widely deployed across the country, the total available marine energy resource in the United States is equivalent to nearly 60% of all US power generation. Even if only a small portion of this technical resource potential is captured, marine energy technologies will make significant contributions to US energy needs.
Meanwhile, floating offshore wind has 2.8 terawatts of potential power in the United States. If fully developed, this would equate to more than double the current US electricity consumption.
The projects selected through this funding opportunity seek to:
Generate publicly available data and test platforms that will help identify cost reductions and performance improvements to advance marine energy devices.
- Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon): $500,000
- Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey): $500,000
- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan): Two awards—$998,700 and $500,000
Advance potential synergies between offshore wind and/or marine energy and aquaculture development. (This topic area is a joint effort between DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office and Wind Energy Technologies Office.)
- Boston University (Boston, Massachusetts): $375,000
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, California): $375,000
- University of Hawaii at Manoa (Honolulu, Hawaii): $497,000
- University of New Hampshire (Durham, New Hampshire): $375,000
Support undergraduate senior design and/or research projects in marine energy.
- Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, Ohio): $499,800
- Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, Florida): $500,000
- Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (College Station, Texas): $500,000
- University of Alaska Fairbanks (Fairbanks, Alaska): $500,000
- University of Houston (Houston, Texas): $500,000
- University of Washington (Seattle, Washington): $500,000
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, Wisconsin): $500,000
Advance additional ideas that support the Water Power Technologies Office’s Marine Energy Program objectives.
- Michigan Technological University (Houghton, Michigan): $598,800
- North Carolina State University (Raleigh, North Carolina): Two awards—$1,000,000 and $1,000,000
- Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon): Two awards—$999,500 and $1,000,000
- State University of New York at Stony Brook (Stony Brook, New York): Two awards—$500,000 and $500,000
- University of Alaska Fairbanks (Fairbanks, Alaska): $1,000,000
- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan): $994,200
- University of New Hampshire (Durham, New Hampshire): Two awards—$985,300 and $1,000,000
- University of Washington (Seattle, Washington): $999,300
Learn more about the selected projects.
