Ocean Energy Technology Advancement Project

Ocean Energy Technology Advancement Project is sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Supports the development and demonstration of innovative ocean energy technologies, including ocean thermal energy conversion systems.

Up to $112. 5 Million in Funding Available for Wave Energy Technologies Up to $112. 5 Million in Funding Available for Wave Energy Technologies DOE Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation sent this bulletin at 10/16/2024 09:00 AM EDT Having trouble viewing this email?

View it as a Web page . Water Power Technologies Office Welcome to the Water Column, a monthly snapshot of marine energy news and happenings. This month's newsletter will take approximately seven minutes to read.

Reach out to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) at WaterPowerTechnologiesOffice@ee. doe. gov with any inquiries or suggestions.

The 2025 Marine Energy Fellowship , funded by WPTO, connects graduate students and post-graduates with leading scientists and researchers and allows them to gain insight into marine energy career and research opportunities. Learn about the 2025 program as well as past fellows Claire Gonzales , Habilou Ouro-Koura , and Christopher Ruh l—and their research. Oct.

18, 2024 , is the deadline to submit proposals for the Ocean Energy Safety Institute’s Request for Proposals II , which seeks projects from the marine energy sector. Oct. 23, 2024, is the deadline to submit full applications for the Water Power Innovation Network funding opportunity .

Oct. 25, 2024, is the deadline to submit concept papers for the Oceans of Opportunity funding opportunity . Nov.

8, 2024, is the deadline to submit nominations for the University Marine Energy Research Community’s (UMERC’s) board of directors. Dec. 6, 2024 , is the deadline to submit applications for the Marine Energy Fellowship program for those interested in beginning their fellowships in summer 2025.

Dec. 13, 2024 , is the deadline for nonprofit science, technology, engineering, and math organizations to apply to the Clean Energy Careers for All program . WPTO Opens Up to $112.

5 Million Funding Opportunity for Wave Energy Developers in Its Largest Ever Investment in Marine Energy This five-year investment will significantly accelerate the design, fabrication, and testing of multiple wave energy converters.

It will help identify and mature high-potential technologies, reduce financial risks for developers, incentivize investors, progress technologies at smaller scales while developing toward utility scale, and increase learning for installation, operations, and maintenance. Concept papers are due by 5 p. m.

ET on Oct. 25, 2024 . UMERC Seeks Nominations for its Board of Directors UMERC is now accepting nominations to fill vacant seats on its board of directors.

UMERC aims to increase collaboration among U.S. marine energy researchers. Open positions include two university research seats, one national laboratory seat, and one blue energy cluster seat. Terms last for two years and will begin on Dec.

1, 2024. Self-nominations will be accepted. The call for nominations closes on Nov.

8, 2024 . Applications for 2025 Marine Energy Fellowship Now Open to Graduate Students and Recent Post-Graduates The Marine Energy Fellowship program connects participants with leading scientists and researchers and allows them to gain insight into marine energy career and research opportunities.

The program now features a two-track structure: one for graduate students working on marine energy-focused research theses or dissertations and a new post-graduate track for recent graduates focused on advancing their careers in marine energy. Applicants who would like to begin their fellowship in summer 2025 must submit their applications by 5 p. m.

ET on Dec. 6, 2024 , and applicants who prefer to start in fall 2025 must submit their applications by 5 p. m.

ET on March 7, 2025 . New Program Funds STEM Nonprofits' Efforts To Foster a Diverse Clean Energy Workforce The Clean Energy Careers for All program will award nearly $3 million to non-profit science, technology, engineering, and math organizations in support of their workforce development initiatives targeting K–12 and university students, alumni and academic professionals, veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals.

Register for the informational webinar TODAY, Oct. 16, 2024 , and apply for the program by 5 p. m.

ET on Dec. 13, 2024 . Twenty-Five Small Businesses Selected To Receive Nearly $16.

7 Million for Water Power Research and Development WPTO announced funding for 25 small business-led hydropower and marine energy projects through Phase I and Phase II of the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer program. These projects can help to accelerate the growth of water power innovation and technology.

WPTO Selects More Than $33 Million in Projects To Advance Hydropower and Marine Energy This funding includes nearly $25 million for 25 hydropower and marine energy R&D projects across six DOE national laboratories. This includes six marine energy projects focused on modeling for wave and current energy converters and a testing facility for mooring lines and umbilical cables, among other topics.

It also includes six "Sapling" projects supported through WPTO's Seedlings and Saplings program, which encourages and supports new and innovative research ideas at DOE’s national laboratories. Project Updates and Stories National Renewable Energy Laboratory Unveils Updated Marine Energy Risk Management Framework The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) updated its Marine Energy Risk Management Framework, first launched in 2015.

This 2024 revision aims to help reduce risks in marine energy projects and boost the development of innovative technologies. The framework addresses key uncertainties in areas like technology, regulation, and commercialization, improving the chances of success for projects at all stages of development.

Updates to the Marine and Hydrokinetic Toolkit Aim To Accelerate Development of Reliable Tidal Turbines Recent updates to the Marine and Hydrokinetic Toolkit (MHKiT) —developed by NREL, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories—enhance its applicability for tidal turbine developers.

These updates enable modeling of extreme sea states, visualizing river flow and turbulence, and standardizing measurement data. Designed to save time and reduce costs for engineers and researchers, MHKiT helps improve marine energy technologies, making them more reliable and better suited to withstand extreme weather conditions.

DOE Partners With 25 New Coastal, Remote, and Island Communities To Advance Local Energy Resilience Goals DOE welcomed 25 communities into the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP), marking its largest and most geographically diverse cohort yet. ETIPP provides direct funding and technical assistance to help communities overcome unique energy challenges and advance clean energy solutions.

Partnering with national labs and regional organizations, ETIPP aims to enhance energy resilience, affordability, and sustainability across the United States and its territories.

University of Washington Expands Research Opportunities With the Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research Program For the University of Washington, support from the Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research program enabled testing of several environmental monitoring technologies.

Researchers were able to deploy and further develop their technologies and equipment, advancing the field of marine energy and enabling other researchers and technology developers to better understand how marine life interacts with deployed devices. Ripple Effect: A Tale of Two Students, Some Artificial Kelp, and a Water Power Prize In April 2024, two young women walked onto a stage in Austin, Texas, to accept an oversized check.

Embodying an entrepreneurial ambiance, Jessica Beck and Samantha Jayasundera earned this $22,000 prize thanks to inspiration from a slimy, mud-colored algae called kelp. For about three months, the budding engineers had been refining a business plan for a technology that could mimic these squiggly ocean plants to generate clean energy, help restore ocean ecosystems, and protect coastal communities from natural disasters.

WPTO Peer Review for Marine Energy Program Registration will open in the fall for WPTO's 2025 Peer Review. The purpose of peer review is to evaluate WPTO-funded projects based on their contributions to the office’s mission and goals, track progress made against stated objectives, and assess the office’s overall management and performance. EnergyTech University Prize Informational Webinars Oct.

24, 2024, 1–2 p. m. ET : This prize introduction webinar will familiarize students and faculty with the 2025 EnergyTech University Prize.

Registrants will learn more about key prize details, important dates, submission materials, and more. The webinar will conclude with a live Q&A. Dec.

10, 2024, 1–2 p. m. ET : This track details webinar will cover important information for the 2025 round of the EnergyTech University Prize.

Students and faculty alike will learn more about key prize details, important dates, submission materials, and more. The webinar will conclude with a live Q&A. Semiannual Stakeholder Webinar Highlights Roles of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Water Power In August, WPTO hosted a stakeholder webinar focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning and their potential use across the water power sector.

Two guest speakers from DOE's new Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies also joined the webinar to talk about their office's role working with DOE and its national laboratories, which involves identifying potential uses for artificial intelligence in the energy sector and ensuring those uses are developed safely. Learn more about these topics and check out the webinar recording.

Bench Testing a Wave Energy Converter To Power Ocean-Observing Technologies In a new video, Sandia National Laboratories highlights its work through a WPTO-funded project to develop a wave energy converter that can support the Coastal Pioneer Array, one of five arrays that make up the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Ocean Observatories Initiative.

This NSF-funded major research facility collects open-source data from more than 900 instruments to address questions about the ocean. Sandia is working with engineers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Evergreen Innovations, Johns Hopkins University, East Carolina University, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and NREL.

Making a Splash in the News Climate Solutions: 2 Kinds of Ocean Energy Inch Forward off the Oregon Coast — Associated Press , Claire Rush and Jennifer McDermott, Sept. 24, 2024 Marine Energy Technology Development Risk Management Framework — NREL , David Snowberg, Ritu Treisa Philip, and Jochem Weber, Sept. 23, 2024 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Vessel Dedicated at Ceremony — Peninsula Daily News, Matthew Nash, Sept.

20, 2024 U.S. Rolls Out Largest Wave Power Fund in Its History To Step Up the Ocean Energy Game — Offshore Energy , Zerina Maksumic, Sept. 20, 2024 'State of the Science' Report Updates on Marine Energy Environmental Effects — Hydro Review , Elizabeth Ingram, Sept. 19, 2024 SLB OneSubsea Signs MoU With C-Power To Develop Wave Energy System — Offshore Magazine , Staff Writer, Sept.

16, 2024 Wave and Tidal Energy: Key to Net-Zero Future — International Water Power and Dam Construction , Sept. 16, 2024 'It's Been a Huge, Huge Effort': Wave Energy Testing Site Nearing Completion off the Oregon Coast — KGW8, Kale Williams, Aug. 28, 2024