The US Department of Energy (DoE) has selected four entities to receive $7.4 mln to develop components that would help advance marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) technologies.
According to the Energy Department, the projects will address technical challenges in advanced controls, crosscutting power take-off (PTO), and innovative structures, for the wave and tidal energy sectors.
Through this funding opportunity, the selected projects will help improve the performance and reduce the cost of MHK technologies.
It is expected that the research and development supported by this funding would advance the market-readiness of MHK systems through the continued development and use of innovative components for wave and tidal energy devices.
Collaborative project that will see the development of an optimal control system that predicts ocean conditions and adjusts device settings accordingly to optimize power production for Ocean Energy’s OE buoy, Resolute Marine Energy’s Surge WEC device, and CalWave’s Wave Carpet device , will be led by Re Vision Consulting.
The group that will work on developing and testing a novel mechanical PTO solution will be lead by Virginia Tech, with Resolute Marine Energy, Energy Harvesting Technology, THK America, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Dehlsen Associates in collaboration with Helios Engineering, Wedge Global, and Oregon State University, amongst others, will work on developing a linear generator capable of supplying a WEC device with power to implement advanced controls.
The project focused on innovative structures, led by Pennsylvania State University in collaboration with Verdant Power, will seek to develop a low-cost, single-piece, three-blade composite turbine.
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Image: Verdant Power