Seven Innovative Water Power Technologies Selected for Research and Development Funding

Hydropower Decision-Support with Machine Learning and Satellite Driven Forecasts

Upstream Tech, a subsidiary of Natel Energy, Inc. will advance their technology developed in Phase I to deliver accurate and reliable streamflow predictions across short-term and seasonal forecasts by leveraging novel machine learning techniques, a proprietary data platform, and a wide range of dynamic earth data.  To achieve this, they will include additional weather forecast sources using a cloud-based system that is scalable, resilient, and secure.  They plan to quantify the technology’s technical and financial benefits over alternative approaches to develop a marketing strategy to help with commercialization.

Leveraging Co-Development for the Energy Capture Subsystem of a Small-Scale Adaptive Wave Energy Converter

Ocean Motion Technologies will fabricate a cost-effective, adaptive ocean wave energy device that can optimize its power output based on ambient environments for scientific and defense applications. This will enable the development of renewable energy powered systems that operate in the ocean for long periods of time without power constraints.

Integrated wave power charging capability for ocean observing vehicles

The Oscilla Power project will integrate an ocean wave powered recharging capability into an autonomous ocean observing vehicle as a way of extending its mission duration. This new approach will allow these vehicles to operate for significantly longer periods of time, potentially indefinitely. This will be a major step towards allowing the US to take the lead in harnessing this clean energy resource, providing enhanced defense/surveillance capabilities.

MHK-RoboCatch: Context-Aware Robotic Trash Boom Powered By Marine Hydrokinetics

Visionary Products' project aims to leverage energy from rivers' flow and robotics to monitor and aggregate plastic debris in a waterway, readying it for extraction. Rivers are a major pollution pathway, depositing floating trash into sensitive ecosystems where it remains for decades or longer, and this project will use hydrokinetic energy to alleviate this problem.

Preventing Biofouling of Oceanographic Sensors Using UV Illumination Powered by a Compact Wave Energy Converter

3newable aims to capture ocean wave energy to power scientific oceanographic sensors, specifically an anti-biofouling device to keep the instrumentation clear of biological growth. This will provide a complementary source of renewable energy to power ocean systems.

Wave Energy Harvesting to Power Ocean Buoys

Triton Systems is Triton is developing a point-absorber type wave energy converter that will be integrated with ocean buoys. This can double the power budget available to these buoys and enable the collection of data from the ocean.

Compact power converter with high waveform quality for direct-drive renewable energy generators

Fastwatt LLC, Clifton Park, NY - will develop a novel integrated power converter-transformer that is 2x smaller and 10x lighter, provides high waveform and power quality desirable for machines such as superconducting generators intended for large offshore renewable energy applications, and is scalable for direct interface to 69-kV AC grid collection systems. The modular and scalable power conditioning system (PCS) will leverage wide bandgap semiconductor materials and power device manufacturing advancements that will reduce the size and weight of the PCS systems thereby lowering the cost to transport, install, and service the clean energy technologies.