On October 15, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), announced the 17 teams chosen to participate in the 2021 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition: Powering the Blue Economy™.
The competition enables multidisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students to obtain real-world experience in exploring innovative marine energy solutions to address power needs across the blue economy.
As part of the challenge, competitors will create a market research-supported business plan for a next-generation marine energy technology. They’ll also have the opportunity to design, develop, and test their proposed devices. Innovators will work on cutting-edge concepts to support resilient coastal communities or provide power at sea. The following teams will participate in the competition in spring 2021:
- Boise State University
- Institute of Engineering, National Autonomous University of Mexico, partnering with Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Autonomous University of Baja California, University of Caribe, National Polytechnic Institute, Autonomous University of Mexico State and Faculty of Accounting and Administration
- Manhattan College
- New Mexico State University
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, partnering with University of North Carolina Wilmington – Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Oregon State University
- Purdue University
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of California, Riverside
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, partnering with St. Bonaventure University
- University of North Florida
- University of Plymouth
- University of Washington
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Virginia Tech Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems, partnering with University of California, Los Angeles
Submissions can run the gamut from concepts that aid in ocean observation and underwater vehicle charging to desalination and more, including—but not limited to—the markets identified in DOE’s Powering the Blue Economy™ report.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory administers the competition on behalf of WPTO. Learn more about the competition and sign up for email alerts to keep up with the latest from the MECC.