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Did You Know?
Two university students' plan to sell artificial kelp forests earned them a bonus prize from the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) EnergyTech University Prize. Learn about these students and the opportunity they see for a kelp-like marine energy device.
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Sept. 20, 2024, is the deadline to apply to be a fellow embedded in Alaska working with WPTO and the Arctic Energy Office (AEO).
Oct. 4, 2024, is the deadline for the Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) program's latest request for technical support (RFTS).
Oct. 9, 2024, is the deadline for applicants to apply to the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Engineering Research Initiation, which includes marine energy and hydropower topic areas.
Oct. 16, 2024, is the deadline to submit concept papers for DOE's Office of Clean Energy Demonstration's (OCED's) $100 million funding opportunity to support non-lithium long-duration energy storage pilot projects.
Oct. 18, 2024, is the deadline to submit proposals for the Ocean Energy Safety Institute's (OESI's) Request for Proposals II, which seeks projects from the marine energy sector.
Oct. 23, 2024, is the deadline to submit full applications for the Water Power Innovation Network funding opportunity.
Rolling: Concept abstracts are being reviewed on a rolling basis for the technical collaboration opportunity focused on developing innovative hydropower technologies using advanced materials and manufacturing.
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FUNDING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OPPORTUNITIES
OCED issued a notice of intent to provide up to $400 million in funding to spur innovative, community-focused clean energy solutions, including hydropower and marine energy projects, in rural and remote areas across the United States. The funding opportunity will support the deployment of a variety of commercially available clean energy technologies, demonstrating their viability and benefits to rural and remote residents, and ultimately encouraging widespread adoption. OCED plans to fund 16 to 69 projects with funding ranging from $2 million to $50 million each. This funding opportunity is expected to open in the coming weeks.
The Grid Deployment Office (GDO) has selected 293 hydroelectric improvement projects across 33 states to receive more than $430 million in incentives to upgrading their facilities. Among funding recipients, the average time of operation for each facility is 79 years. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and GDO, the Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentives program aims to boost dam safety, enhance grid resilience at 215 sites, and secure 6,000 existing jobs in hydropower operations, along with jobs for contractors and vendors.
WPTO plans to provide up to $112.5 million in funding to advance the commercial readiness of wave energy technologies through open water testing and system validation. The proposed opportunity is designed to reduce risks for deployments, increase the potential for commercial adoption through longer-duration demonstrations, and offer additional benefits to help quickly advance wave energy converters. DOE anticipates opening this funding opportunity in the coming weeks.
TEAMER announced the selection of 13 projects through RFTS 13, reflecting a total funding amount of nearly $2.1 million. These projects will receive support for testing expertise and access to numerical modeling, laboratory or bench testing, tank/flume testing, and expertise within the growing TEAMER network. Applications for RFTS 14 are due Oct. 4, 2024.
NSF seeks applications for its Engineering Research Initiation program, which aims to enhance engineering research capacity by supporting new academic investigators who have not received significant federal funding. Working with WPTO, NSF included two special topics focused on water power: Marine Energy and the Blue Economy and Hydropower and Climate Change Impacts. Funding recipients are eligible to receive up to $200,000 over 24 months and must submit applications by Oct. 9, 2024.
OCED opened an opportunity for up to $100 million in funding to support pilot-scale energy storage demonstration projects. The funding will focus on non-lithium technologies, long-duration systems, and stationary storage applications. OCED aims to use this funding to move energy storage technologies closer to commercial viability and utility-scale deployment. Concept papers are due by Oct. 16, 2024.
OESI is accepting proposals focused on marine energy through its RFP-II funding opportunity. Projects may involve small-scale marine energy solutions that enhance the safety, security, and sustainability of offshore wind and oil and gas operations, as well as utility-scale marine energy solutions that leverage experience from wind energy and oil and gas. Proposals are due Oct. 18, 2024.
WPTO and AEO are accepting applications for a new fellowship—based in either Anchorage or Fairbanks, Alaska—focused on learning how WPTO and AEO carry out work on water-power-related topics in the state. The selected applicant will also gain hands-on experience by applying their knowledge and expertise aligned with the offices' work areas and pertaining to Alaska's energy challenges and needs. Applications for this opportunity will be accepted until Sept. 20.
DOE's Office of Technology Transitions announced its intent to issue a call for proposals from DOE national laboratories, plants, and sites for the Fiscal Year 25 Core Laboratory Infrastructure for Market Readiness lab call. Funded through the Technology Commercialization Fund, this opportunity aims to improve U.S. energy competitiveness and security by accelerating the commercialization of critical clean energy technologies to market. DOE anticipates releasing the lab call in October 2024 and awarding up to $36.8 million across six topics.
WPTO recently invested more than $41 million in the four university-led National Marine Energy Centers (NMECs). This funding, which includes $36 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help strengthen and expand marine energy research and development and bolster marine energy testing infrastructure at the NMECs. This investment will support a variety of efforts centered around research and development, infrastructure improvements, strategy, administration, and outreach and communications
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Join WPTO for a series of webinars for Phase III of the Innovating Distributed Embedded Energy Prize, an initiative created to encourage innovation in distributed embedded energy converter technologies (DEEC-Tec) and new, precommercial materials for wave energy conversion.
Sept. 17, 2024, 2–3 p.m., Webinar
This one-hour webinar will feature DOE Prize Competition Community of Practice members and the American Made Challenge team. The event will highlight how DOE's prize competition programs fit into the agency’s innovation strategy, what other federal agencies can learn from the DOE example, and how members of the public can participate in DOE-sponsored prize competitions.
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Sept. 19, 2024, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. ET, Webinar
Join staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for a 90-minute webinar on the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). USDA staff will discuss its funding opportunities for rural small businesses and cooperatives with a focus on REAP, and NREL staff will provide an overview of how hydropower technologies can best contribute to rural businesses. USDA and NREL staff will then discuss tips on submitting a successful REAP application related to hydropower. The webinar will include time for Q&A.
Jan. 27–31, 2025 (Hydropower Program)
Feb. 10–14, 2025 (Marine Energy Program)
Registration will open in the fall for WPTO's 2025 Peer Review. The purpose of peer review is to evaluate WPTO-funded projects based on their contributions to the office's mission and goals, track progress made against stated objectives, and assess the office's overall management and performance.
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Sept. 17–19, 2024, Melbourne, Australia
Join WPTO staff at ICOE 2024 in Melbourne, Australia! Be sure to catch Allison Johnson, the office's engagement and outreach lead, during the conference as she discusses the opportunity for marine energy research and development in the United States.
Oct. 7–10, 2024, Portland, Oregon
See WPTO and national laboratory staff at Clean Currents 2024! Aimed at bringing together professionals from across the hydropower and marine energy industries, Clean Currents will facilitate collaboration, encourage innovation, and highlight advancements in the water power sector. Find WPTO at booth 1145.
In honor of National Hydropower Day on August 24, WPTO showcased hydropower's diversity through the creation of a lookbook. This resource plays a key role in the electric grid today and will continue to do so as it evolves to incorporate more variable renewable energy generation. Learn about the many types of hydropower facilities and technologies that sustain communities across the United States.
For the University of Washington, TEAMER's support enabled testing of several environmental monitoring technologies. Researchers were able to deploy and further develop their technologies and equipment, advancing the field of marine energy and enabling other researchers and technology developers to better understand how marine life interacts with deployed devices.
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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
Research Vessel Resilience Charts Course to The Future of Marine Research
—Tech Xplore via Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Alexandra Freibott, Sept. 6, 2024
Biden-Harris Administration Allocates $430 Million for Hydropower Upgrades
—International Water Power and Dam Construction, Carieann Stocks, Sept. 5, 2024
Novel ORNL-Led Manufacturing Effort Focuses on Large Parts for Clean Energy in Hydropower
—Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Greg Cunningham, Sept. 5, 2024
DOE Announces $125 Million in Funding to Support Energy Storage Research
—POWER Magazine, Darrell Proctor, Sept. 3, 2024
Big Waves Off Oregon Coast Fuel Cutting-Edge Effort to Harness the Ocean for Electricity
—The Oregonian, Gosia Wozniacka, Sept. 2, 2024
Energizing the Grid: Insights into the DOE's GRIP Program
—POWER Magazine, Brandy Smart, Aug. 30, 2024
New Tool to Advance Hydropower Plant Cybersecurity Through AI
—Hydro Review, Elizabeth Ingram, Aug. 29, 2024
Tapping Municipal Water Supply Systems for Low-Impact Hydropower Growth
—Hydro Review, Scott DeNeale, Lindsay Ashworth, Antonia Chu, and Shih-Chieh Kao, Aug. 28, 2024
'It's Been a Huge, Huge Effort': Wave Energy Testing Site Nearing Completion off the Oregon Coast
—KGW, Kale Williams, Aug. 28, 2024
At the Intersection of Hydropower and Cybersecurity
—NREL, Tim Meehan, Aug. 27, 2024
US Hydropower and Marine Energy Competition Discovers Innovative Solutions
—International Water Power and Dam Construction, Carrieann Stocks, Aug. 27, 2024
DOE Report Shows Clean Energy Jobs Grew at More Than Twice the Rate of Overall U.S. Employment
—DOE, Staff Writer, Aug. 28, 2024
DOE Invests $41M to Expand Marine Energy Testing Infrastructure
—Power Engineering International, Elizabeth Ingram, Aug. 20, 2024
DOE Report Identifies Solutions to Gaps in U.S. Hydropower Supply Chain
—American Public Power Association, Paul Ciampoli, Aug. 19, 2024
ORNL Wins 14 R&D 100 Research Awards
—Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sara Shoemaker, Aug. 9, 2024
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