Upcoming Deadlines
Looking for more detailed information on the latest funding opportunities and events related to water power? Make sure you subscribe to The Water Wire! Find the next issue in your inbox on May 8, 2024.
Announcements
WPTO announced an intent to provide nearly $5 million in funding for programs that accelerate the commercialization and adoption of water power systems and solutions. This proposed opportunity is intended to support programming and services for entrepreneurs and small businesses in hydropower and/or marine energy. WPTO anticipates opening this funding opportunity in April or May 2024.
WPTO recently opened applications for the sixth annual Marine Energy Collegiate Competition. This competition engages students in real-world challenges facing the sector and promotes the many career opportunities in water power to encourage the next generation to join the marine energy workforce. To apply, competitors must submit a short description of their team, their educational goals, and how they will ensure diversity within their team, among other details. Teams do not need to be fully formed to apply; faculty can register by the deadline and finish filling out their teams later. Applications are due May 6, 2024. More information, including the official rules, is available on the competition website.
|
Throughout 2022 and 2023, WPTO continued advancing hydropower and marine energy technologies that help realize water power's full potential in contributing to a clean energy future. To highlight these efforts, WPTO recently released its annual accomplishments report, which details successes from projects the office supported at DOE national laboratories, companies, and academic institutions across the country. Learn more about recent success stories from the Marine Energy Program.
WPTO and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed a marine energy career map as part of efforts led by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to highlight different careers in clean energy. This new map will help anyone interested in a marine energy career to easily identify pathways to a wide variety of jobs in the marine energy sector. It also demonstrates the breadth of technical and nontechnical jobs available to workers of all skill levels and at all career stages. The goal of the marine energy career map is to strengthen the marine energy industry workforce pipeline so the sector can help achieve U.S. and global clean energy goals.
Project Updates and Stories
WPTO and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) announced five students selected for the 2024 Marine Energy Graduate Student Research Program. These students will work with mentors from DOE national laboratories and industry partners to advance their research in the understanding and development of marine energy resources.
Researchers and staff from NREL, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories discussed their marine energy careers (past, present, and future) at a Marine Energy Career Panel in February. The panelists represented the diverse research areas, skill sets, and day-to-day work available in marine energy (or even the broader field of offshore energy).
To view the webinar recording and accompanying slides, visit the Marine Energy Career Panel page.
|
Meet Alec Schnabel, an NREL marine energy researcher with a knack for wave energy technologies. In NREL's Beneath the Surface profile, learn more about power electronics, like the REGATRON. When Alec is not in the lab, he's often exploring nature alongside his loyal canine companion, Stella.
Spain, South Korea, India, Israel, and Italy have successfully deployed coastal structure integrated (CSI) wave energy converters (WECs). These promising wave energy technologies, which could generate clean energy and protect coastal communities from erosion and storms, are not currently in use in the United States. Now, a team of NREL researchers is working to explore deployment opportunities for CSI WECs so U.S. coastal communities can benefit from their ability to shield coastlines, create local jobs, and produce grid-scale energy.
The Atlantic Marine Energy Center, one of four National Marine Energy Centers established by WPTO, released a video highlighting a wave-powered water pump that harnesses marine energy to circulate nutrient-dense water from deep waters to the surface. The nutrient-dense water at the surface increases the yield of kelp and seaweed for potential use in biofuel feedstocks.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, May 9, 2024, 12:30–2 p.m. ET
WPTO is hosting its next Semiannual Stakeholder Webinar on Thursday, May 9, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. ET. Staff and leadership will dive into current and future funding opportunities, how the office is working with partners across the country and beyond, and other accomplishments, news, and updates since the last retrospective stakeholder webinar in November. The webinar will conclude with a Q&A session. Submit questions to waterpowertechnologiesoffice@ee.doe.gov.
May 20–23, 2024, Portland, Oregon
Pacific Ocean Energy Trust will host the Ocean Renewable Energy Conference at the World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon. The conference will focus on a range of marine energy topics, including key developments related to testing infrastructure and blue economy opportunities. WPTO will also host the final event of the 2024 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition, featuring students and faculty from more than 15 colleges and universities.
In Case You Missed It
For Women's History Month in March, WPTO celebrated the many women who are advancing water power. This compilation features water power administrators, chemists, community and stakeholder engagement professionals, policymakers, engineers, an Army veteran, a landscape architect, and more. Readers can explore the different paths these professionals took to reach their current careers in water power.
WPTO and the Minority-Serving Institutions STEM Research and Development Consortium announced nearly $1.2 million for high-impact water power research projects at minority-serving colleges and universities. This funding is part of WPTO's Seedlings for Universities initiative, which aims to seed research and development activities in academic institutions that do not have significant existing water power research portfolios.
The next phase of the educational Renewable Energy Discovery (REDi) Island—funded by WPTO, created by NREL and developed by IKM 3D—is now available. The REDi Island web-based app is designed to engage and inspire the next generation to get involved in the growing water power industry. It provides students, teachers, and anyone interested in water power with information on different technologies along with educational resources, curriculum ideas, and links to more information about real-world systems and how they work.
|
