A $22 million funding opportunity to study marine and hydrokinetic energy systems was announced today by the Energy Department. The projects funded will help improve monitoring to reduce environmental impacts and lower the cost of generating electricit...
Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
March 2, 2016
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Image courtesy the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL) Marine Sciences Laboratory.
The Energy Department today announced a $22 million funding opportunity for new research, development, and demonstration projects to advance marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) energy systems that generate electricity from waves, tides, and currents and to improve environmental monitoring technologies that will help minimize environmental impacts. The funding will support projects that reduce the cost of electricity from MHK systems and help protect the marine environment, thus increasing sustainable electricity generation from ocean and river energy resources.
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy expects to fund up to 10 projects that address technology development and demonstration, as well as market acceleration and deployment. Specifically, the funding opportunity will support projects that:
1. Integrate next-generation MHK hardware and software technologies into existing wave
and current energy conversion systems and demonstrate improved systems in
full-scale, open-water tests for a one-year period; and
2. Design, test, and validate environmental monitoring technologies that quantify the
impacts of MHK systems in marine settings, such as acoustics, electromagnetic
fields created by MHK devices and subsea cables, and interactions between these
devices and marine animals.
For more information, read the full opportunity at the Energy Department’s Funding Opportunity Exchange website .
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy accelerates development and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality. Go to water.energy.gov for information on our Water Power Program's funding opportunities that sponsor the development of innovative technologies that generate renewable, environmentally friendly, and cost-competitive electricity from water resources. To learn more about how MHK devices capture energy from waves, tides and currents, view this Energy 101 video.
Jocelyn Brown-Saracino
Jocelyn Brown-Saracino is the Offshore Wind Energy Lead for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Jocelyn helped contribute to the establishment of the joint agency 30 GW by 2030 goal and is leading DOE’s subsequent implementation efforts. Prior to assuming this role, Jocelyn served as program manager for DOE’s Wind Energy Environmental, Siting, and Workforce Development. She holds a master’s degree in marine science from the University of New England and a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Smith College.