Original post from the US Department of Energy:
Ryan Sun Chee Fore, Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Manager
With up to 1,400 terawatt hours of potential power generation per year, our nation’s waves and tides represent vast, untapped resources that could provide clean, renewable electricity to millions of homes and businesses throughout the country.
To boost deployment of marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) technologies that capture wave and tidal energy, the Energy Department announced 17 projects last year that aim to increase the power production and reliability of MHK devices and help gather valuable data on how deployed systems interact with wildlife and the surrounding ocean environment.
This week, two additional projects have been selected for funding to demonstrate wave energy converter component technologies:
- Dresser-Rand will develop and test a power take-off component that converts pneumatic power into electricity for oscillating water columns, which are devices that generate energy from ocean waves.
- Columbia Power Technologies will optimize, build, and test a lightweight, cost-effective composite hull for a wave energy converter device.
These projects are part of the Energy Department’s overall efforts to deploy innovative technologies for clean, domestic power generation from water power resources. Learn more about the Energy Department’s Water Power Program and subscribe to news alerts.