The Department of Energy today announced an award of up to $40 million, subject to appropriations, for the design, permitting, and construction of an open-water, grid-connected national wave energy test facility.
The facility will be constructed by Oregon State University’s Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center in Newport, Oregon and will support innovations in wave energy technologies capable of harnessing the significant wave energy resources along the United States coastline.
A high sea wave – illustrated photo. Image credit: Todd Turner via Unsplash, free license
More than 50 percent of the US population lives within 50 miles of the coast, giving the US the potential to develop a domestic wave energy industry that could help provide reliable power to coastal areas. The Department’s investment in marine and hydrokinetic energy technology will boost domestic manufacturing, create jobs and pioneer a new technology that harnesses the untapped renewable resource to help achieve the country’s energy goals.
“Testing full-scale innovative wave energy devices in open waters is an important step toward one day harnessing a reliable energy resource. Anyone who has paddled or swam in moderate ocean waves knows something about the power they represent, said Franklin Orr, Under Secretary for Science and Energy at the Department of Energy. “This new facility will help us advance the science and technology of wave energy devices, and identify the challenges we need to overcome to ultimately achieve commercial deployment.”
The new test facility, called the Pacific Marine Energy Center South Energy Test Site, will be constructed with a combination of federal and non-federal funds. The facility, planned to be completed by the early 2020s, includes four grid-connected berths where researchers can test full-scale wave energy conversion device concepts. Prototype testing is essential to gather critical performance data to inform addressing technical risks, reduce costs, and accelerate future designs. Commercialization and deployment of mass produced wave energy Technologies.
The pre-permitted site was designed to meet the department’s specifications as well as the needs of industry and the community, helping researchers focus on the technical challenges inherent in testing rather than permitting and regulatory matters. The site is expected to be a major test facility for wave energy converters globally, which will play a key role in advancing wave energy technology into commercial feasibility.
recent studies The US’s technically recoverable wave energy resources are estimated to be between approximately 900–1,230 terawatt hours (TWh) per year, distributed along the coast of Alaska, the West Coast, the East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Is. For reference, approximately 90,000 homes can be powered by 1 TWh per year. This means that even if only a small percentage of the capacity can be recovered, millions of homes could be powered by wave energy with the advancement of technology.
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Accelerates the development and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen American energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality. To learn more about our Hydropower Technology Office’s funding opportunities and efforts to develop innovative wave energy technologies, visit energy.gov,
Source: energy.gov
