US DOE unveils winners for 2024 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition

Innovation

May 29, 2024, by Zerina Maksumic

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has revealed the winners of the 2024 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC).

Source: U.S. DOE, Credit: photo from Taylor Mankle, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

This year, teams completed four challenges, focusing on market analysis, technical design, prototype testing, and community engagement.

After opening the applications on March 26, 2024, and closing them on May 6, 2024, out of the teams that registered, 17 of the teams were picked as contesting teams.

The teams presented their work at the event held in Portland, Oregon, from May 20 to 23, 2024. Judges reviewed the presentations, reports, and posters, selecting the first, second, and third-place winners, along with individual category winners:

Best Poster: Purdue University
Business Plan Challenge Winner: University of New Hampshire
Technical Design Challenge Winner: University of New Hampshire
Build and Test Challenge Winner: Oregon State University
Community Connections Challenge Winner: Purdue University
Rookie of the Year Award: Rutgers University.

Repeating the 2023 victory, the University of New Hampshire won the 2024 competition. Purdue University took second place, while Oakland University and Oregon State University tied in third place.

The annual MECC, now in its fifth year, challenges teams to develop solutions for powering sectors in the blue economy, such as aquaculture and ocean observation. Students gain experience by identifying markets for marine energy technologies and designing their own devices, said U.S. DOE.

“Marine energy resources are abundant, predictable and have immense potential to provide clean energy to our grid and the offshore economy,” said Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

“The students participating in this competition are paving the way for this burgeoning new industry, and we look forward to their future achievements.”

According to the U.S. DOE, MECC introduces students to various career paths needed in the industry, including engineering, environmental science, business development, project management, and communications.

The MECC is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.