WPTO Adds $10 Million to Proposed Tidal and Current Energy Funding Opportunity

DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy sent this bulletin at 01/26/2023 12:00 PM EST

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Water Power Technologies Office

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

Jan. 25, 2023

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.
Icon of marine energy.

Did You Know?

You can view images of marine energy technologies, tests, and the people who run them in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technology Office’s (WPTO) image gallery.

Upcoming Deadlines

Announcements & Opportunities

WPTO Adds $10 Million to Proposed Funding Opportunity to Advance Tidal and Current Energy: WPTO announced an additional $10 million topic area in its proposed funding opportunity to advance tidal and current energy systems, bringing the total funding to $45 million. The proposed funding opportunity is expected to be released early this year and encourages organizations, such as tidal and current energy supply chain companies, to apply and work together with other applicants by filling out a teaming partner list, which will be compiled by DOE. The list will allow organizations who may wish to participate in an application to express their interest to other applicants and explore potential partnerships. Check out DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Funding Opportunity Exchange to learn more about this proposed funding opportunity and teaming partner lists.

Full Application Deadline Approaches for WPTO’s $10 Million Funding Opportunity to Advance Marine Energy Innovation: The deadline is approaching to submit a full application for WPTO’s $10 million funding opportunity aimed at accelerating the development and testing of marine energy technologies with a focus on wave and ocean current resources. This opportunity will invest in projects that advance wave-powered technology innovation, research, and development for seawater desalination, as well as a feasibility assessment for an ocean-current test facility. The deadline to submit full applications is 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 24, 2023, and applicants must have submitted a concept paper to be eligible to submit a full application. More information can be found on EERE Exchange.

TEAMER Announces RFTS 8 Technical Support Recipients: The TEAMER program has announced the recipients of technical support for their RFTS 8 application group. The program has now awarded more than $10 million of total support across 100 marine energy projects since the program launched in May 2020. TEAMER is also accepting applications through March 3, 2023, for its next RFTS. The access period for teams to utilize facilities for RFTS 9 is August 2023–April 2024. Sponsored by WPTO and directed by the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust, TEAMER offers marine energy stakeholders and developers access to the nation’s best facilities and expertise to support technology development and testing. 

NOAA Announces $30 Million Funding Opportunity for Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking applications and proposals for a $30 million funding opportunity focused on marine carbon dioxide removal. To be eligible for this funding opportunity, each proposing team must include participants from at least two of the following sectors: academia, private sector, or government. The deadline to submit full applications is Feb. 28, 2023.   

Technology Commercialization Fund Submissions Now Open: WPTO is partnering with DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions and eight other program offices for this year’s Technology Commercialization Fund Base Annual Appropriations Laboratory call. Only national laboratories are eligible for funding from this lab call. Potential topics for funding include market needs assessments, curation of intellectual property, matchmaking, technology-specific partnerships, streamlining laboratory processes, and increasing external partnerships. The deadline to submit full applications is 3 p.m. ET on March 17, 2023.

University of Guam Celebrates New WPTO Funding for Ocean Energy Systems Research: WPTO recently announced over $16 million for new projects led by six national laboratories. One of these projects is funding the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories to work with the University of Guam to assess infrastructure requirements, environmental impact considerations, and the economic and regulatory viability of deploying ocean energy systems in Guam. Learn more about the two-year project in the University of Guam’s news release.

Upcoming Events

Oceanology International Americas

Feb. 14–16, 2023, San Diego, California

Oceanology International Americas is an event for all those involved in exploring, protecting, and sustainably operating in the world’s oceans and waterways. Are you planning to attend? Visit staff from WPTO and the national labs at the WPTO booth in the U.S. Government Ocean Hub!

Products & Publications

Ocean Energy Systems-Environmental Updated Management Measures Tool: In 2017, the Ocean Energy Systems-Environmental team created the Management Measures Tool for Marine Energy that compiles management or mitigation measures used in past or current marine energy projects to make such information more readily available. The marine energy community can review and use this information to aid future projects. In 2022, the team updated the tool’s user experience and added additional content to make it more robust. The Ocean Energy Systems-Environmental team held a webinar on Jan. 19, 2023, to further explore the tool’s new capabilities. View a recording of the webinar. 

WPTO Ripple Effect: The Ripple Effect series showcases the amazing people whose impactful work will help advance water power technologies and enable a clean energy future..

  • Sarah Moore: A 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science Science and Technology Policy fellow working in WPTO, Sarah Moore helped make DOE funding and the broader clean energy innovation space more accessible and inclusive to people from underrepresented backgrounds and used her engineering skills to help communities solve their infrastructure challenges. Read how these and other experiences impacted the way Moore looks at solving big challenges like climate change.
  • Jake Herb: Jake Herb, another Science and Technology Policy fellow in WPTO, helped the budding marine energy industry build technologies that serve real community needs and co-managed a few research projects at the national labs focused on integrating marine energy devices with microgrids in rural and remote communities. Read more about Herb and how he is working to help keep the country’s electricity systems running sustainably by choosing the right tool for the job.  
Jake Herb sitting on a tractor and Sarah Moore leaning over a water bucket.

NREL’s Water Power Office Releases 2022 Recap: The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) water teams gathered their most popular and powerful moment of 2022, featuring huge progress toward a carbon-free electricity grid by 2035. Dive into key advancements in marine energy and hydropower that laid the foundation for the work ahead. 

Testing Collision Risk Solutions: The latest story from WPTO’s Triton Project highlights its ongoing work to test sensors that could alleviate animal-turbine interactions with current energy converters. The Triton team is conducting proof-of-concept testing with the University of Washington as part of the Integrated Collision Detection and Mitigation project.

Illustrations of renewable ocean energy technology.

WPTO in Sea Technology Magazine: Reaching the United States’ climate goals of a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035 and net-zero-emissions economy by 2050 requires complementing currently available clean energy technologies with emerging technologies such as marine energy. Look back at ways WPTO supported efforts to propel marine energy technologies from the lab to the water in 2022 and look ahead to 2023. 

A Deep Dive into Marine Energy: Interested in learning more about marine energy? NREL’s newest article introduces this renewable energy source and discusses its potential to deliver clean energy to fuel the blue economy and power communities across the world.

In Case You Missed It

The Dummy Payload That’s Actually Very Smart: Learn about the dummy payload designed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers that played a key role in determining the efficiency of marine energy device prototypes tested during WPTO’s Powering the Blue Economy Ocean Observing Prize.

Making Marine Energy Testing Easier, Safer, and More Affordable: Promising marine energy technologies must go through extensive—and sometimes expensive—testing and permitting to edge closer to commercial success. WPTO is making it easier for developers to access testing facilities, navigate the permitting process, and ensure their prototypes can safely coexist with marine wildlife and ecosystems. Watch as this video explains the opportunities, facilities, partners, and other resources available to help marine energy developers advance their technologies.

Social Spotlight

WPTO on LinkedIn — Jan. 20, 2023 

Kerry Grantham in the bow of a canoe looking across the water.

Do what you love and love what you do. Kerry Grantham took that advice to heart as she combined her love for people, the environment, and clean energy and is working at NREL to help sustainably integrate marine renewable energy technologies into remote, island, and coastal communities across the country.

Follow along on the EERE Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook channels for more #WaterWednesday content each week.

Making a Splash in the News

Marine Mentions