Marine Energy

DOE office announces $1.7 million for hydropower and marine energy projects at national labs

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DOE office announces $1.7 million for hydropower and marine energy projects at national labs

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) announced more than $1.7 million for 16 hydropower projects and 12 marine energy projects to further water power research and development at DOE’s national laboratories.

These projects will advance hydropower and marine energy technologies and their roles in achieving both national and local clean energy goals. 

Hydropower accounts for 28.7% of total U.S. renewable electricity generation and about 6.2% of the country’s total electricity generation. And total available marine energy resources in the U.S. are equivalent to nearly 60% of all U.S. power generation.

The projects announced are “Seedlings” funded under WPTO’s Seedlings and Saplings program to encourage and support new and innovative research ideas at DOE national laboratories. Projects start as Seedlings and are eligible for up to $100,000. Previously selected Seedling projects are eligible to apply for Continuing Seedlings for up to $150,000 in cumulative funding to continue their work.

Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Sandia National Laboratories will lead these projects.

New Hydropower Seedlings:

  • SNOW-GO Spatial-Temporal Streamflow Forecasting in Response to Snow Melting
  • Strategic Renewal Pathways: Assessing Timeline and Resources for Hydropower Modernization
  • Scope and Benefits of Governor Upgrade for Existing Governor-Free or Speed Desensitized Assets in the Western U.S.
  • Identifying Extreme Precipitation Risk at Hydropower Plants Using Stochastic Storm Transportation
  • Mapping River Bathymetry and Substrate with Recreation-Grade Sonar
  • Human and Artificial Intelligence: Comparing Perceptions of Water Power Science Stories
  • Assessing the Climatological Impact of Atmospheric Rivers on Flooding for Enhanced Reservoir Management
  • Additive Friction Surfacing for Enhanced Performance, Service Life, and Economics of Metal Hydropower Components
  • Fish Assessment Automation for Fish Passage
  • Mobile Hydropower Dam Industrial Control System Engagement Model (MoHydro)
  • Supporting Aging Hydropower Infrastructure with Advanced Repairing

Continuing Hydropower Seedlings:

  • Social Impacts and Opportunities for Hydropower in Partnership with Tribes—Phase 2
  • Reservoir Sedimentation at Dams: Evaluating the Problem
  • An Uncertainty-Aware Machine Learning-Enabled Hydropower Seasonal Forecast Model
  • Waterpower STEM Ambassadors
  • Improving the Timing and Volume of Hydrosystem Inflow through Targeted Forest Management

New Marine Energy Seedlings:

  • Exploring the Feasibility of Modern Fiber Optics in Offshore Mooring Condition Monitoring
  • Lead-Free, High Coupling Coefficient Fluttering Flag Marine Harvester
  • Simulated Robots World for Ocean Energy Operations and Maintenance
  • Public Perceptions of Marine Energy Technologies and Associated Impacts
  • Shifting the Supply Chain
  • Illustrating the Marine Energy Portfolio

Continuing Marine Energy Seedlings:

  • Differentiable Programming to Enable Modern Optimization and Data-Driven Methods for Marine Renewable Energy
  • ICE Box—Emergency Response System
  • Novel Kelp-Inspired MEC Design for Ecosystem Restoration and Habitat Creation
  • Novel Stacked TENG Using Flexible Circuit Boards to Improve Power Density and Manufacturability
  • Ocean Wave Energy Harvester with Oak Ridge Converter
  • Evaluating the Lifetime of Seals in Hydraulic Power Take-Off Systems in Wave Energy Converters