WPTO Announces Winners of Waves to Water DRINK Finale Prize

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Water Power Technologies Office

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April 27, 2022

Banner announcing the newsletter name "The Water Column" with an image of the ocean at sunset behind it.

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 us at WaterPowerTechnologiesOffice@ee.doe.gov with any inquiries or suggestions.

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Did You Know?

The United States currently has four National Marine Energy Renewable Centers. These centers capitalize on various major water sources while providing access to the facilities and experts developers need to test and advance marine energy technologies.

Follow along on the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook channels for more #WaterWednesday content each week.


Upcoming Deadlines


Announcements & Opportunities

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DOE Announces Winners of Wave-Energy-Powered Desalination Prize Competition: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the winners of $1 million in cash prizes from the DRINK Finale of the Waves to Water Prize, which challenged competitors to design, build, and test early-stage prototypes that use wave energy to produce clean drinking water from ocean water. Oneka Technologies won the grand prize of $500,000 for its device, the Oneka Snowflake. Learn more about the prize’s finale events and the winners, and watch the video recap to hear from competitors.

Deadline Nears for TCF Applications: The deadline is approaching for national laboratories to apply for funding from TCF. This year’s TCF reflects new flexibility stemming from modification to the TCF authorizing language passed in the Energy Act of 2020. This greater flexibility allows each office to follow the approach that maximized the ability of TCF funding to pursue promising energy technologies for commercial purposes. Full applications are due on April 29, 2022. All application materials must be submitted through EERE Exchange.

Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship Program: DOE recently announced the Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship. The program will fund recent graduates and energy professionals to spend up to two years supporting a variety of organizations, such as public utility commissions, municipal and rural cooperative utilities, and grid operators like regional transmission organizations or independent system operators. This program, co-funded by the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), will help increase access to clean energy career opportunities across the country and accelerate the national transition to a resilient and affordable clean energy economy. The deadline for applications from fellows and interested host organizations is May 6, 2022.

WPTO Opens Applications for 2023 MECC: WPTO recently opened applications for the fourth annual MECC, which challenges competitors to unlock the power of the ocean through the development of next-generation marine energy technologies. Undergraduate and graduate students from post-secondary institutions—including colleges, universities, community colleges, and trade schools—are invited to compete. Applications are due on May 8, 2022. Learn about the 2022 MECC teams and tune in to the final event for the 2022 competition May 23–27, 2022.

WPTO Releases Marine Energy Summary of Annual Accomplishments Report: WPTO released its 2020–2021 Accomplishments Report, highlighting dozens of WPTO-funded efforts to advance promising marine energy research and technologies, which convert the power in waves, tides, and ocean and river currents into clean electricity. Read the summary to learn about WPTO-funded marine energy projects and accomplishments over the past year.

CalWave Launches California’s First Long-Term Wave Energy Project: In September 2021, CalWave launched its (and California’s) first at-sea, long-duration wave energy pilot project, bringing the xWave technology closer to providing grid-connected electricity for coastal communities. CalWave’s xWave uses a promising architecture. But before marine energy companies like CalWave take their designs to the market, they must first take them to the ocean, a salty—and, therefore, corrosive—and volatile environment.


Upcoming Events

WPTO R&D Deep Dive Webinar: TEAMER – Making Marine Energy Research Accessible

Today, April 27, 2022, 2–3:30 p.m. ET, Online

Learn more about the Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) program that connects marine energy innovators with state-of-the-art facilities for the support, testing, and expertise they need to create the next big advancement in renewable ocean energy. TEAMER is sponsored by DOE and directed by the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust. 

Register for the event.

 

2022 MECC Final Event

May 23–27, 2022, Online

The 2022 MECC concludes with an exciting, five-day finale in May 2022. Seventeen collegiate teams from universities across the United States—and four teams from international universities in Brazil, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, and Qatar—will present their marine energy device concept and business plan to a panel of expert judges. The final event includes an opening ceremony with WPTO, an industry networking event, three days of virtual pitches, and an award ceremony. Experience the culmination of the year-long effort to help advance the burgeoning marine energy industry. 

Register for the event.

 

Power for Ocean Sensing: Creating Dialogue Around Power Capabilities and Needs

May 19, 2022, 12–2 p.m. ET, Online

UMERC has identified a knowledge gap between marine energy developers and potential end users in this field. There have not been many dialogues between energy developers and oceanographers/instrument engineers. Because small-scale ocean energy is an emerging sector, creating space for this dialogue will ensure marine energy grows according to real ocean observation needs. During this workshop, marine energy developers will update oceanographers on new power technology development and discuss how they can support big data in the ocean. Oceanographers and instrument engineers will explain common instrument power requirements and form factors to marine energy developers.

Register for the event.

 

2022 UMERC & METS Marine Energy Research Conference

Sept. 13–14, 2022, Portland, Oregon

UMERC and METS will jointly sponsor a marine energy research conference in Portland, Oregon, on Sept. 13–14, 2022. This event will provide a venue where technical experts can present marine energy research that helps accelerate the pace of sustainable technology development. Students and early-career researchers, in particular, are encouraged to present their work. Submit any abstracts for the UMERC & METS conference by May 1, 2022

Register for the event.


Products & Publications

A Window Into the Future of Wave Energy: DOE funding is catalyzing a partnership between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst to take their variable-geometry, oscillating, surge wave energy converter from theory to practice. This project could help advance wave energy devices so the nation can rely more on the clean, renewable energy they can produce to both power and protect our planet. Watch the video highlighting this variable-geometry wave energy research.

NREL’s Wave Tank Paves Way For Marine Energy: Seafaring robots can do a lot for us and our oceans, such as cleaning out harmful plastic, exploring the 80% of area that remains a mystery, and monitoring for dangerous tropical storms. These marine energy devices need a clean energy source to continue their work and protect the ocean’s ecosystems at the same time. That’s why researchers are studying ways to bring clean marine energy to the sea using ocean-mimicking tools like wave tanks. NREL’s new wave tank, which is as long as three cars parked in a row and can support up to 22,000 pounds, can test how technology might fare in the ocean, including in unstable waves, and carve a new path forward for marine energy.

Open-Source Marine Energy Toolkit Provides Developers Updated Data Analysis: Created in 2019 with funding from WPTO, the Marine and Hydrokinetic Toolkit is releasing more robust versions for each platform. The massive, searchable, open-source knowledge hub for marine energy developers is now available in both Python and MATLAB. Learn more about how NREL researchers are updating the toolkit and helping the marine energy industry reach commercialization.


In Case You Missed It

Congress Provides Increased Funding to WPTO: On March 11, 2022, President Biden signed the omnibus spending package for Fiscal Year 2022. The package provides $162 million for WPTO, representing the office’s largest annual budget to date. Visit WPTO’s site to learn more about the office’s budget as well as the hydropower and marine energy funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Celebrating Women in Water Power: In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, WPTO and NREL both released articles spotlighting the inspiring women advancing water power technologies. Learn more about these renewable energy role models, including their backgrounds, goals, and advice to the next generation.

Recapping the WPTO Semiannual Stakeholder Webinar: In March 2022, WPTO hosted its semiannual stakeholder webinar, providing stakeholders with updates on water power funding opportunities, program accomplishments, and project updates. Missed the webinar? Check out the recap and recording on the WPTO website. 


WPTO In the News


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