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Did You Know?
REDi Island has launched a new web-based app that expands the learning experience. Each waystation in the app features information about water power technology, additional educational resources, curriculum ideas, and links to more information that will help students dive in and understand how water power works in the real world.
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FUNDING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OPPORTUNITIES
Science, technology, engineering, and math faculty from minority-serving institutions are encouraged to apply for the Faculty Applied Clean Energy Sciences (FACES) Program, a collaborative effort among the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Justice and Equity (EJE), and EERE. Participants will spend 10 weeks over the summer at the NREL campus working with researchers to develop scalable education modules on topics like community engagement, human behavior, energy and environmental science, and artificial intelligence. Participants receive a weekly stipend and travel reimbursement. Applications are due on Feb. 15, 2024.
WPTO and DOE's Wind Energy Technologies Office released a $14.5 million funding opportunity to support foundational research at domestic institutions of higher education, including minority-serving institutions, to address challenges facing marine and ocean renewable energy industries and spur innovation and development. This opportunity will support foundational research and development activities to advance marine energy and offshore wind technologies with the goal of more widely deploying renewable energy sources. Concept papers are due by 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 20, 2024.
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With an aim to increase access to clean energy careers and spread energy equity, the Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship program sends qualified recent graduates and energy professionals to support electric cooperatives, grid operators, municipal utilities, public utility commissions, state energy offices, and Tribal entities. Applications for host institutions are due March 5, 2024. Applications for fellows are expected to open in March 2024 after hosts and their clean energy projects have been selected.
DOE is accepting applications for a funding opportunity through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Topics include pumped storage hydropower, environmental monitoring technologies, and other water power areas of interest. Full applications are due March 12, 2024. Applicants must have submitted a letter of intent to be eligible to submit a full application. Learn how past SBIR/STTR water power awardees used this funding to advance their technologies.
DOE announced investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in three innovative marine energy projects. Two projects were selected to receive $3 million each in the first phase of a $35 million total investment in the development of a tidal energy research, development, and demonstration pilot in the United States. A community-led river current energy research and development project was also selected to receive $9.5 million.
DOE's Office of Technology Transitions in collaboration with the Offices of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, and EERE, announced 111 entities will receive support valued at $9.8 million to advance their clean energy technologies. Thirty-three supporting organizations will provide these entities with in-kind commercialization support. Among these selections, Emrgy, Cadens, Triton, C-Power, Percheron, and Ebb Carbon were chosen to advance their water power technologies.
In support of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, DOE announced today the selection of 46 hydroelectric projects across 19 states to receive up to $71.5 million in incentive payments to increase the generation efficiency of the nation's existing hydropower fleet.
The selected projects under the Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentive can be found in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
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DOE's Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs plans to release a $25 million funding opportunity to support clean energy technology deployment on Tribal lands. This opportunity will solicit applications from Indian Tribes to install clean energy generating systems and/or energy efficiency measures for Tribal buildings, deploy community-scale clean energy generating systems or energy storage on Tribal lands, install integrated energy systems for autonomous operation to power a single building or multiple essential Tribal buildings during emergency situations or for Tribal community resilience, or power unelectrified Tribal buildings.
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WPTO Semiannual Stakeholder Webinar – Looking Forward
TOMORROW, Feb. 15, 2024, 2:30–4 p.m. ET
What’s coming down the road for WPTO? How is the office making decisions about research and development priorities? Join WPTO leaders and team members to learn about the office's strategic planning process and the Advanced Manufacturing and Materials for Hydropower Strategy (the first strategy to result from this process), as well as external collaborations that could guide the next steps in the Marine Energy Program.
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Feb. 18–23, 2024, New Orleans, LA
Join WPTO at the 2024 Ocean Sciences Meeting, a global convergence of the ocean community to share findings, connect scientists, and advance the impact of ocean science.
Meet members of the WPTO team and hear Director Jennifer Garson as she takes the stage for a town hall and shares some of the impactful work the office is doing to advance ocean energy technologies.
March 13–15, 2024, Washington, D.C.
Members of the WPTO team, researchers from national laboratories, and other water power stakeholders will be at the National Hydropower Association’s Waterpower Week as the community gathers to discuss policy, legislation, regulation, and wholesale electricity market topics.
Stop by the WPTO table to get more information on activities and opportunities and be sure to attend panels featuring experts from the office and national laboratories.
March 19–20, 2024, Palm Springs, CA
Meet WPTO staff and stakeholders at CEATI’s Hydropower conference. The conference will focus on the opportunities and challenges utilities are facing around the world with a specific focus on retrofitting dams for extended life, extreme events, and the increased need for flexibility.
Topics will also include opportunities for power plant modernization and innovations in hydropower.
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March 8–16, 2024, Austin, TX
Don’t miss two marine energy panels featuring WPTO staff at this year’s event:
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Harnessing the Power of the Ocean: All-Hands-on-Deck March 12, 2024, 2:30–3:30 p.m. CT: Our oceans are a precious habitat for millions of species, a vital carbon sink, and a key determinant of environmental and human health. They fuel the blue economy by providing an essential food source and acting as an enabler of global trade. They are the new frontier in renewables and next-generation blue tech. But how do we bring these ideas to market, scale an equitable and just clean energy future, and create resilient coastal communities in the face of climate change? Watch WPTO staff on this panel as they explore how public and private entities are working together to harness the full potential of our oceans.
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Investing in Our Oceans: Navigating Uncharted Waters March 13, 2024, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. CT: Deploying technology in the ocean is hard and risky. We know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the ocean floor on a planet that is 70% water. So why are these investors so invested in ocean technology? Join Beth Hartman and this panel as they explore why blue tech is a critical investment area for climate mitigation and resilience, clean energy, food security, and economic prosperity. The group will discuss how to work together to build an infrastructure of funding and support to bridge the gap between public funding and private capital, accelerating commercial solutions on an unprecedented timeline.
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WPTO recently released a strategy that identified research and development priorities in advanced manufacturing and materials for the hydropower sector. Advanced manufacturing and materials have shown immense potential to boost the U.S. manufacturing industry, increase American competitiveness, restore manufacturing capabilities, and revolutionize the energy sector. The strategy includes three overarching goals and eight sub-goals that will guide WPTO's efforts related to hydropower and advanced manufacturing.
Looking to dive deeper into publications, reports, and other news in water power? Subscribe to WPTO's program-level newsletters, Hydro Headlines and The Water Column, which provide content focused on hydropower and marine energy, respectively.
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MAKING A SPLASH IN THE NEWS
DOE Announces $15.5 Million to Advance Tidal and River Current Energy
—Hydro Review, Elizabeth Ingram, Feb. 7, 2024
US DOE Allocates $6 Million for Development of Tidal Energy Demo Pilot Site
—Offshore Energy Biz, Zerina Maksumic, Feb. 7, 2024
Biden-Harris Admin: Nearly $72 Million in Largest Single Investment to Support America’s Hydropower Facilities
—Clean Technica, Staff Writer, Feb. 3, 2024
Can Ocean Energy Power Carbon Removal?
—NREL, Caitlin McDermott-Murphy, Feb. 1, 2024
UTEP, PNNL Partner to Train Cybersecurity Hydropower Experts
—UTEP, Staff Writer, Feb. 1, 2024
US DOE Releases $14.5M Funding Opportunity for R&D in Marine and Offshore Wind Energy
—Offshore Energy, Zerina Maksumic, Jan. 18, 2023
Beneath the Surface: Nicole Mendoza Is a Supersonic Environmentalist
—NREL, Caitlin McDermott-Murphy, Jan. 16, 2024
The Yoga of Energy (Specifically, Ocean Energy)
—NREL, Caitlin McDermott-Murphy, Jan. 16, 2024
US DOE’s TEAMER Awards $1.3M to Marine Energy Researchers
—Marine Technology News, Staff Writer, Jan. 12, 2024
Water And Energy Are Intertwined: Here’s How We Can Start Treating Them That Way
—Forbes, Seth Darling, Jan. 10, 2024
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