US DOE pours $33M into marine and hydropower projects to boost innovation and commercialization

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) has allocated more than $33 million in funding to advance marine energy and hydropower projects. 

Out of the total funding, nearly $25 million is dedicated to 25 marine and hydropower research and development (R&D) projects at six national laboratories, while $8.6 million will support 13 technical assistance projects for hydropower through the HydroWIRES initiative.

Marine energy stands out in this funding round, reflecting its potential in the renewable energy sector. Technologies such as wave, tidal, and ocean current are expected to deliver contributions to remote and coastal communities, the blue economy, and U.S. energy grids.

“The total available marine energy resource in the United States is equivalent to approximately 57% of all U.S. power generation. Even if only a small portion of this technical resource potential is captured, marine energy technologies would make significant contributions to U.S. energy needs,” said WPTO. 

Six new projects at three laboratories –  the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and the Sandia National Laboratories will further the marine R&D. 

One of the key initiatives under the marine energy projects is the development of the next generation of wave energy converter (WEC) models. According to WPTO, this topic area can help achieve lower costs. 

As part of this initiative, NREL will develop SEA-Stack, an open-source numerical modeling framework for WECs. This tool will integrate multiple simulation technologies from low-fidelity to high-fidelity models, enabling a more comprehensive analysis of WEC designs, noted WPTO.

SEA-Stack aims to streamline the development process, providing marine energy developers with a more accurate and faster way to test and validate new technologies.

In parallel, efforts are being made to advance current energy converter (CEC) technologies. These devices capture energy from tidal and ocean currents. NREL, in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, will develop advanced CEC modeling tools, improving the simulation accuracy of turbines deployed in marine environments. 

By enhancing the accuracy of these models, the project seeks to lower deployment costs and mitigate risks, fostering commercial success and scalability for current energy technologies.

Mooring lines and umbilical cables are critical components that ensure marine energy devices remain secure and operational in harsh ocean environments, said WPTO. Currently, only a few facilities globally can perform comprehensive testing on these systems. 

Sandia National Laboratories will address this gap by creating an advanced testing facility to evaluate the performance of mooring lines and umbilical cables. This initiative would help reduce risks associated with marine energy deployments and optimize the design of these vital components, further lowering costs.

According to WPTO, this project involves the integration of marine energy with other renewable sources such as wind and solar power, for hybrid offshore energy systems that support marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) efforts. 

NREL, in partnership with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), will develop tools to model and measure how marine energy can contribute to mCDR plants. This project not only explores the potential for hybrid renewable systems but also opens new markets for marine energy, enhancing its role in tackling climate change.

Sandia National Laboratories is also working on improving the measurement of mechanical loads on marine energy devices. This project focuses on the development of novel fiber optic strain measurement techniques that align with international marine energy standards. 

The goal is to provide marine energy developers with more accurate load measurement methods, which can inform the design and optimization of marine energy devices, ensuring they are robust enough to withstand the demanding conditions of ocean environments, WPTO noted.

WPTO’s commitment to fostering innovation is further highlighted by its selection of six “sapling” projects, part of the Seedlings and Saplings program. The Seedlings received up to $100,000, and when selected to become Saplings, they receive additional funding of $200,000 to $400,000.

One standout project is Sandia’s plan to power the Woods Hole X-Spar Buoy using wave energy. This buoy is designed to collect atmospheric and oceanic data, and the integration of marine energy will extend its operational capacity and data collection capabilities. 

Other Sapling projects focus on advancing underwater vehicles for better deployment of monitoring instruments, and on developing models that inform marine energy converter designs for powering the blue economy.

Equations of motion (EOM) represent a set of differential equations that describe the motion of a system, such as its position, velocity, and acceleration under the influence of forces like ocean waves. 

Deriving the analytical EOM for a WEC is a critical step in developing control algorithms or optimizing design. In this initiative, NREL, in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, will develop an open-source tool to automatically generate the EOM.

This tool will be compatible with existing software, including the Wave Energy Converter Design Optimization Toolbox, the Wave Energy Converter SIMulator, and Response Amplitudes of Floating Turbines, streamlining the design and optimization processes for marine energy devices.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is leading a pioneering effort to monitor the impact of marine energy on large whales. 

The WhaleOmics project will measure physiological stress responses in whales as they pass through areas with marine energy converters. This research will reduce regulatory uncertainty by providing detailed insights into how marine energy infrastructure affects marine mammals, helping to guide future deployments and minimize ecological impacts.

Mooring lines are susceptible to wear and tear in the ocean environment, making their monitoring crucial for the long-term success of WECs. 

PNNL and Sandia are working together to develop smart sensors that can predict when mooring lines need maintenance, reducing the operational and maintenance costs of wave energy converters and enhancing the reliability of these systems.

Sandia National Laboratories and Florida Atlantic University are teaming up to enhance an existing autonomous underwater landing vehicle technology designed for deploying instruments that measure current velocities. 

According to WPTO, this project will involve open water testing to extend the deployment duration to at least two weeks. The team will also work to attract potential partners and customers, pushing this technology closer to commercial use.

This year’s funding call from the U.S. DOE’s WPTO is marked as the largest one in history, with an issued $112.5 million funding call to spur the demonstration of wave energy technologies through open water testing and system validation. The WPTO is set to allocate funding over the next five years to support wave energy development across three primary areas.

After the takeoff of a $4.6 million funding opportunity in June to accelerate commercialization and support of hydropower and/or marine energy businesses, the U.S. DOE’s WPTO unveiled plans in August to provide up to $112.5 million in funding to advance wave energy technology.