 What’s Inside: This edition of the Water Wire shares recent announcements, newly released products and publications, a project spotlight from the 2019–2020 Accomplishments Report, upcoming events, and other hot topics.
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Estimated read time: 5 minutes 40 seconds
Announcements
WPTO Funds ORPC Project to Move Forward with In-Water Testing of Current Energy Converter
Products & Publications
PNNL and ORNL Publish Report on Hydropower Fish Passage Research
PNNL and ORNL published a report on predicting effects of project operations on fish during downstream passage through turbines at hydropower facilities. It outlines DOE’s HydroPASSAGE efforts to develop and collect biological response models for integration into the Biological Performance Assessment tool and the Hydropower Biological Evaluation Toolset. These models help understand how fish are likely to respond during dam passage when exposed to hydraulic and physical stressors associated with turbines and other hydropower structures. The tools also provide a means to evaluate and reduce impacts.
Interested stakeholders are encouraged to read the report, visit the HydroPASSAGE website, or read about the project in WPTO’s 2019–2020 Accomplishments Report.
Launch of New Marine Energy System Advisor Model Makes Waves
The System Advisor Model is an open-source techno-economic software that combines performance and financial analysis for renewable energy systems. The tool’s marine energy module enables users to evaluate the cost and annual energy performance of marine energy systems. NREL recently updated the tool with expanded cost input pages and two new macros: the Marine Energy Wave Report macro and the Marine Energy Wave Compare Cases macro. Access the tool here.
2019–2020 Accomplishments Report: Project Spotlight
First U.S.-Accredited, Grid-Connected Wave Energy Test Receives 25-Year Permit
On March 1, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a 25-year license to Oregon State University (OSU)’s PacWave South. After OSU files final engineering and environmental plans with FERC, the license will authorize OSU to construct, operate, and maintain the facility. Prior to FERC issuing the license, the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) granted a lease for PacWave to operate in federal waters about seven miles off the Oregon Coast. The BOEM lease, a prerequisite for the FERC license, was the first lease for marine energy research off the west coast.
 This represents a major milestone for the marine energy industry as OSU moves closer to constructing and commissioning the first accredited, grid-connected, pre-permitted U.S. wave energy test facility. Read more about PacWave’s accomplishments from the past couple of years in the WPTO 2019–2020 Accomplishments Report.
Upcoming Events
INL Researcher to Present on NHA Webinar on Hydropower+Batteries
On March 11 at 2:00 p.m. ET Dr. Thomas Mosier, Energy Systems Group Lead at Idaho National Laboratory, will participate in an event hosted by the National Hydropower Association (NHA) and the Energy Storage Association. During the event, titled “Pairing Batteries & Hydropower: Clean Energy’s Untapped Solution”, panelists will explore the value streams of collocating batteries and hydropower. Register for the webinar.
To learn more about the work Dr. Mosier and other researchers from DOE national labs are leading to pair hydropower—specifically run-of-river hydropower—and storage, read their project write up in WPTO’s 2019–2020 Accomplishments Report.
Deep Dive into Marine Energy Composites and Manufacturing
Throughout March and April, a team of national lab experts will host a series of webinars to delve into using composite materials for marine energy applications. Learn about the effects of corrosion on materials used to interconnect composites on March 19, 1–2 p.m. ET, followed by the latest performance results on coupons provided by the marine energy community on March 26, 1–2 p.m. ET. A seminar on advanced manufacturing composite blades will be held April 9, 1–2 p.m. ET. Learn more about these webinars and register online.
Join ORNL and WPTO for an Overview of the 2021 U.S. Hydropower Market Report
Did you know pumped storage capacity has increased in the United States by almost as much as all other types of energy storage combined from 2010 to 2019? Or that FERC relicensing activity is set to more than double in the coming decade? You might also be surprised to learn that most U.S. hydropower capacity increases are not from new development, but rather increases at existing facilities, new hydropower in conduits and canals, and by powering non-powered dams. Learn about these findings and other U.S. hydropower trends during DOE’s webinar on March 31, 2–3 p.m. ET. Representatives from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and WPTO will walk listeners through key takeaways from the January 2021 edition of the U.S. Hydropower Market Report. The report, led by ORNL, compiles data from public and commercial sources as well as research findings from DOE projects to provide a comprehensive picture of developments in the U.S. hydropower and pumped-storage fleet and industry trends for U.S. and global hydropower.
Register for the webinar, which is part of WPTO’s R&D Deep Dive Webinar Series.
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In Case You Missed It
TEAMER Announces RFTS2 Selections, Prepares for RFTS3
The U.S. Testing Expertise and Access to Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) program recently selected 23 projects through its second Request for Technical Support (RFTS) for testing expertise and access to numerical modeling, lab testing, and tank/flume testing within an expanded facility network. Chosen applicants can now submit their completed test plans, a requirement before assistance activities can commence. TEAMER expects to open its third RFTS soon and a webinar for interested applicants is planned for April 12 which will cover TEAMER facilities and requirements. More details about the next RFTS and webinar will be made available on the TEAMER website.
NREL Releases Marine Energy Resource Summary Report
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently published a report titled Marine Energy in the United States: An Overview of Opportunities, which summarizes the best available data on U.S. marine energy resources at the state and regional scales. The results within the report are primarily based on DOE-funded marine energy resource assessments in technology areas such as wave, tidal currents, ocean currents, ocean thermal gradients, and river currents.
 Technical power potential of U.S. marine energy resources (in TWh/yr) for the United States, U.S. territories, and freely associated states.
DOE Announces $100 Million for Transformative Clean Energy Solutions
On February 11, DOE announced up to $100 million in funding for transformative clean energy technology research and development via its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s OPEN 2021 funding opportunity. This funding will help identify cutting-edge, disruptive clean energy technologies to address the climate crisis. The technical categories of interest include multiple areas relevant to marine energy and ocean research, such as power generation from hydrokinetics and non-automotive ground/sea transportation. Concept papers are due April 6.
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