The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 10 organizations which will receive more than $20 million in funding for new research, development, and demonstration projects that advance and monitor wave and tidal energy systems.
These projects will aim to improve the performance of marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) systems and advance environmental monitoring technologies that will help protect wildlife and reduce uncertainty regarding potential environmental impacts, as well as contribute to the development of a commercially viable MHK industry in the US, the DOE said.
Three demonstration projects will integrate next-generation MHK hardware and software technologies into system designs. Their effectiveness will be tested during full-scale, open-water deployments over one year. Seven projects will improve, test, and validate cost reductions in environmental monitoring equipment that will give industry a deeper understanding of interactions between MHK systems and the marine environment.
The three companies winning the funds for their demonstration projects include Dresser-Rand, Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) and Oscilla Power.
The companies whose environmental projects have been selected to help reduce the time and cost associated with required environmental monitoring are: BioSonics, Florida Atlantic University, Integral Consulting (two projects), University of Washington (two projects), and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.