The budget request for FY 2016 designated to MHK technologies subprogram is USD 40.8 mln, a decrease of USD 300.000 from 2015.
The objective of MHK (Marine and Hydrokinetic technologies) subprogram, a part of the Water Power Program, is to compress technology development timelines of MHK devices with the goal of reducing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for these devices.
The funding would be spent to complete detailed front end engineering and design of a multi-berth, full-scale grid-connected open water wave test facility. The results of this completed engineering and design phase will be used to determine the future funding for the facility construction.
The Government would award two competitive MHK subprogram demonstrations with advanced component systems integration in collaboration with the U.S. Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site in Hawaii.
The funding would enable the continuation of structured innovation R&D to define the requirements for wave energy devices to become cost-competitive and continue a competition began in FY 2015 to develop and test next-generation wave devices with improved performance.
If approved, the budget for MHK technologies would also be used to validate two-fold improvement of absorbed power of wave energy capture devices in the laboratory with controls technology, validate open source advanced design tools for extreme conditions modeling, and coordinate with relevant Federal agencies to continue environmental research.
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Image: Columbia Power Technologies