The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the University of New Hampshire as the overall winner of the fourth Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC), which endorses new marine energy ideas for capturing the power of the ocean.
The 19 student-led teams for 2023 MECC developed designs and business plans to power blue economy activities using a range of marine energy technologies. According to US DOE, 18 competitors also tested prototypes of their designs in test-tanks across the country.
The winners of the 2023 MECC are the University of New Hampshire , which won the first place, followed by California Polytechnic State University , and Purdue University , which won the third place.
When it comes to individual categories, the winners are as follows.
The US DOE also announced the teams selected to compete in the 2024 MECC. The 2024 MECC continues to ask teams to develop solutions for ways marine energy can help power the blue economy.
Twenty teams were selected for the fifth annual MECC, including:
“I congratulate the winners of the 2023 Hydropower and Marine Energy Collegiate Competitions for demonstrating new possibilities for how we can use hydropower and marine energy to help meet our climate and clean energy goals.
“I am excited to see these talented students utilize the real-world experiences and connections they gained through these competitions and hope to see them continue to support our clean energy transition,” said Alejandro Moreno , acting assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at US DOE.