 What’s Inside: This edition of the Water Wire shares recent announcements and opportunities, newly released publications, upcoming events, and other hot topics.
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Estimated read time: 6 minutes and 30 seconds
Announcements & Opportunities
TEAMER Announces Third Request for Technical Support and Extended Access Period
The U.S. Testing Expertise and Access to Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) Program is accepting applications for its third Request for Technical Support (RFTS3) through May 9, 2021. Beginning with RFTS3, TEAMER will allow for longer access periods of up to nine months to complete an RFTS. The access period for RFTS3 will be from roughly September 2021 through June 2022. Visit the TEAMER website to learn more and apply now for RFTS3!
Groundbreaking Hydro Prize Winners Announced
WPTO recently announced the two winners of the Groundbreaking Hydro Prize. The Groundbreaking Prize winners, GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. and Littoral Power Systems, received $50,000 for their Terra-Modular Project. The Innovator Prize winner, Team Chemventive, received $25,000 for their WaterJet Drill with a Deep Array of Anchor Cables concept.
The prize was developed by WPTO, in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), to incentivize innovators to develop concepts to cut costs and project delays associated with small-hydropower project development. To learn more about the prize and winning concepts, see WPTO’s announcement.
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Apply Now to Join the Water Power Team
 Are you interested in working in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO)? Apply for one of our open positions today—applications are due April 30.
IECRE Marine Energy Survey Open to All Industry Stakeholders
The marine energy sector is growing fast and developing novel marine energy converters. One way to ensure this technology functions correctly and safely is through testing and certification. The International Electrotechnical Commission – Renewable Energy (IECRE) has launched a survey to better understand the growing needs for certification in the sector and develop corresponding services by certification bodies and test facilities worldwide. All marine energy industry members are encouraged to respond to the survey.
Publications
Ocean Energy Systems Release Annual 2020 Report
The Ocean Energy Systems (OES) recently released their Annual 2020 Report, which presents an overview of the activities undertaken within OES in 2020, as well as updated country reviews prepared by the Delegates. DOE’s contribution to the U.S. chapter, prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) David Hume and WPTO’s Tim Ramsey, highlights progress made by the U.S. marine energy sector in 2020 in key research efforts and preparation for additional deployments in 2021. Read the full report to learn more.
Sandia Research Featured in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews May 2021 Edition
Sandia National Laboratory researchers Ryan Coe, Giorgio Bacelli, and Dominic Forbush’s paper, “A Practical Approach to Wave Energy Modeling and Control,” will appear in the May 2021 issue of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. The paper summarizes a simple yet powerful approach to wave energy dynamics modeling and subsequent control design based on impedance matching. The methods can readily be applied to provide immediate benefit to ongoing wave energy converter development.
Events and Webinars
Marine Energy Data Standards Webinar
The national lab team behind the Portal and Repository for Information on Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMRE) is hosting two webinars to discuss data standards and introduce the development of the new marine energy data pipeline.
- The first webinar, “Marine Energy Data Standards”, will take place at 2:00pm EDT on April 20 and will focus on recently developed data standards. Register here.
- The second webinar, “Marine Energy Data Pipeline”, will take place at 2:00pm EDT on May 11 and will focus on the demonstration of the open source time series data utility that can be used to convert raw data to standardized format. Register here.
The 2021 International Conference on Ocean Energy & Waterpower Week
Join representatives from DOE and the national laboratories at the 2021 International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE) and experience this year’s ICOE from anywhere in the world! Every two years, ICOE draws international experts from the marine energy sectors to highlight device innovation, new market developments, and regulatory frameworks helping to spur progress around the world.
The 2021 conference, hosted by the National Hydropower Association (NHA) and sponsored by WPTO, will be held virtually April 28-30, 2021, and this year’s theme is “Energizing a Powerful Blue Economy.” And don’t miss out on this year’s official side event, where Marine Energy Collegiate Competition teams will compete virtually, and remember to check out virtual booths from WPTO and the national labs. Register for the event today.
Staff from DOE and the national laboratories will also participate in the virtual Waterpower Week conference, also hosted by NHA. Visit the event website for information on the program and DOE speaking roles.
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The Marine Energy Collegiate Competition: Attend the 2021 Competition and Apply Now for 2022!
Managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on behalf of WPTO, the Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC) inspires multidisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students to unlock the power of the ocean, rivers, and tides to create a business plan and develop, design, and test the technologies that build resilient coastal communities and provide power at sea. The 2021 Competition is wrapping up, and the 2022 Competition is launching! You can view the upcoming 2021 pitches and awards, start your application, and learn more about the competition’s structure through these four opportunities:
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Attend the 2021 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition Virtual Pitches
Join WPTO and NREL for the 2021 MECC virtual pitches on April 26-27. Over the two-day event, the 16 teams will present their business pitches and detailed technology designs for their chosen markets, followed by the Awards Ceremony on April 29. From systems leveraging marine energy to power offshore aquaculture to wave-powered desalination systems to provide coastal communities with potable water, this year’s MECC submissions proved to impress! Catch a glimpse of the 2021 teams’ stories and visit the MECC website for information on how to watch the competition!
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Apply now for the 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) has announced the launch of the 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC): Powering the Blue Economy™. Are you ready to dive in? The third iteration of the MECC is now open for applications through May 7, 2021.
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Tune in to the 2022 MECC Applicant Webinar
Join the 2022 MECC applicant webinar on Wednesday, April 21 to learn more about this year’s competition rules and timeline. Registration is required.
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View a Workshop on Effectiveness and Diversity in the MECC
On February 11th, NREL and the Hydropower Foundation co-hosted a workshop about the DOE MECC to enable feedback on the competition structure and goals and brainstorm ideas for increasing competition participation, partnership engagement, and more. To listen to past dialogues, attend upcoming workshops, and learn more about the STEM Hydropower Portal and STEM Marine Energy Portal, visit the Hydropower Foundation’s workshop page.
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In Case You Missed It
World Water Day & WPTO
World Water Day is celebrated annually on March 22 and WPTO made several announcements highlighting the ways we support the continued sustainable use of our energy-water resources while identifying new ways to leverage them for the benefit of Americans.
 On this day, WPTO:
WPTO also published a blog about what water means to us, addressing the theme for World Water Day 2021. Read more in our blog about how WPTO is working to harness American ingenuity to realize water power’s vast potential.
Women Poised to Bring Sea Change in Clean Energy
In celebration of DOE’s dedication to diversity during Women’s History Month, WPTO highlighted a few women in energy and water power and sharing resources for girls who want to follow in their footsteps. Learn more about the phenomenal women that are shaping the future of energy at DOE and in the water power field.
Activate Fellows’ Ocean-Focused Innovations
Marcus Lehmann of CalWave Power Technologies Inc., a wave energy converter developer and WPTO awardee, was recognized in a recent article about the Activate Fellowship which provides scientists working in sustainable, resilient, and equitable sectors with a two year program to bring their technologies to market. Read the article here.
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