U.S. DOE grants $2.4 million for marine energy R&D projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $2.4 million in funding for twelve marine energy research and development projects.

The funding is a part of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs run by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). 

EERE’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) selected small business projects, from nine different states, based on their proposals and ability to impact the future of marine energy.

WPTO will fund the following companies under two topics:

1. Co-Development of Marine Energy Technology at Smaller Scales (CMETSS): Ocean Renewable Power Company, Aegis Technology, AQUAHARMONICS, Triton Systems, Ocean Power Technologies, Oscilla Power, and Excipio Energy.
2. Low-Cost, User-Friendly Monitoring Tools for Marine Energy Sites: SubSeaSail, MarineSitu, Emrgy, Integral Consulting, and Hydronalix.

They will receive Phase I Release 2 grants of up to $200,000 to explore the technical feasibility of innovative solutions in marine energy.

Successful Phase I grantees will be eligible to apply for $1.1 million Phase II awards in fiscal year 2022 to further research and develop and commercialize their technology.

In April, DOE and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) selected seven winners of the DESIGN Contest for their innovative ideas to integrate marine renewable energy with ocean observing platforms.

The selected teams will advance to the next stage of the competition, the BUILD Contest, where they will construct working prototypes based on their designs.