In this project, Sandia will create a proof-of-concept for a software program that would allow for modern and complex hydrodynamic modeling to design and optimize wave energy converters. This program would make high-performance computing more accessible to everyday users, including researchers, students, and developers.

In this project, Sandia will partner with Michigan Technological University to build and test different buoy shapes in a wave basin. The resulting data will be used to create and validate a machine learning model to improve wave energy converter design. 

In this project, Sandia will use machine learning methods that improve data compression to reduce information loss when measuring the variety of wave sizes over a specific area. The resulting datasets will be used to perform an annual power study for a wave energy converter to demonstrate the potential for machine learning to improve estimates of power production.

In this project, Sandia will implement a machine learning model trained with at-sea testing data from wave energy devices to upgrade wave energy converter self-tuning algorithms. These self-tuning methods will improve a device’s ability to operate under the wide range of conditions experienced at sea.

In this project, (Feasibility of Short-period Wave Energy Generation and Small-scale Wave Energy Converter to Support Powering the Blue Economy Applications along the U.S. Coasts), Sandia will investigate the feasibility of small wave energy converters. Researchers will identify relatively low energy waves that commonly occur along the U.S. coasts, design a small wave energy converter to capture energy from those waves, assess the device’s power production, and identify sites where that device could best support blue economy applications.  

In this project, ORNL aims to decrease the corrosion of stainless steel equipment used in seawater during hydrogen production. Researchers will coat and test stainless steel electrodes, which form an electric current through the seawater, and use a simulated marine energy power supply to the electrodes.

In this project, PNNL will catalogue natural green infrastructure, such as a reefs and coastal vegetation, from six remote and island communities participating in the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project. The project will collect existing spatial data for different types of green infrastructure and the ecosystem services they provide, such as reducing the risks of coastal hazards and mitigating climate change. It will also produce conceptual models based on literature review and expert input that describe relationships between marine energy, green infrastructure, and ecosystem services. 
 

In this project, PNNL will establish a framework for recycling and reusing thermoplastic polymer composites that have been exposed to seawater and explore the potential impact of recycled thermoplastic polymers used in tidal turbines. Additional examinations will be carried out to determine methods for improving the mechanical properties and durability of these materials through recycling. 

In this project, Sandia will examine whether seasonal wave energy converter deployments could be more suitable in coastal communities than continuous deployments. An optimization study will integrate techno-economic metrics with community-dependent operational costs and other community-specific metrics such as ecological and social preferences.

In this project, NREL will test a novel wave energy converter inspired by the shape and movement of kelp that converts a broadband spectrum of oceanic and riverine energy to electricity. This project will characterize and validate performance of the technology with an emphasis on studying the ecosystem restoration benefits.

In this project, a team from NREL and Michigan Technological University will explore the potential of using a perforated (as opposed to an impermeable solid) heave plate design in wave energy converters that can improve characteristics of the heave plate and reduce the capital cost of manufacturing the device. Heave plates are the underwater part of a wave energy converter that are designed to be as stationary as possible.  

In this project, PNNL will analyze news media about marine energy to identify and characterize the perceived risks and benefits influencing marine energy development. The approach includes a systematic comparison of article content from news publications over 10 years to consider social, technical, environmental, and political contexts. 

In this project, PNNL will analyze signal processing approaches to remove or reduce water flow sounds from hydrophone data using multiple hydrophones and an acoustic Doppler velocimeter. If effective, the developed techniques will facilitate a better understanding of the acoustic noise generated by current energy converters. 

In this project, PNNL will test the capabilities of a water-landing uncrewed aerial vehicle (drone) with an underwater video camera to land and take off from a flowing water body while gathering underwater images. If capable, the drone could be tested to monitor fish interactions with marine energy turbines, which would be less costly than maintaining underwater sensors on marine energy devices. 

In this project, NREL will focus on developing models that represent the typical power requirements of blue economy activities, such as autonomous underwater vehicle charging and aquaculture. These models can be used to inform marine energy devices and power electronics design, as well as make laboratory testing more representative, leading to improved understanding of marine energy device performance. 

In this project, NREL will focus on developing low-cost, open-source software and hardware that measure performance, reliability, and controls of generic wave energy converters. This will be achieved by combining information from sensors, such as strain and pressure sensors, and equations of motion in one low-cost platform. 

In this project, PNNL will publish results of power performance analyses from a unidirectional oscillating water column wave energy converter prototype provided by the developer Wave Swell Energy. Oscillating water column devices use wave action to pressurize air in a chamber, forcing it through an air turbine.

In this project, Sandia will finalize the graphical user interface previously implemented to configure wave energy converter simulations with fewer technical and financial obstacles. The interface will allow wave energy developers to perform high-fidelity wave tank simulations using open-source simulation software. 

This project previously demonstrated that simulating both larger swell waves and smaller wind chop waves in the Wave Energy Converter SIMulator (WEC-Sim) software can have a significant effect on wave energy converter performance estimates, particularly for smaller devices. In this follow-on project, NREL will provide modeling advice to the research community, especially WEC-Sim users, about how to produce more accurate power performance estimates by simulating ocean conditions that account for both swell and wind chop. 

This project previously developed an online video game to educate general audiences about the low risk of fish collision with marine energy devices. In this follow-on project, PNNL will add a marine mammal to the game and adjust the spatial scale and scientific content for the new organism. The tool will be piloted to gather feedback for revisions. 

This project started developing a thermoelectric conversion device that harnesses the air-sea temperature difference to generate energy and could potentially power sensors for environmental monitoring. In this continuing project, ORNL will develop a proof-of-concept system for in-water testing to record air and sea temperatures, which will be used in a model to measure expected energy harvesting potential. 

This project previously designed, built, and operated a custom test rig to characterize the power production of a single-layer rotary triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). These emerging technologies would be suitable for powering ocean observing equipment such as temperature or pressure sensors. In this follow-on project, NREL will use the test rig to measure characteristics of these devices that most affect power output, such as rotation speed and rotor material. These parameters will be used to design and manufacture an upgraded single-layer rotary TENG with higher power production.

Previous research developed a method to extract magnesium salts from seawater. In this follow-on project, PNNL will develop methods for higher mineral selectivity and purity that can be integrated into a multi-value platform powered by marine energy, which could also support other blue economy activities such as marine carbon dioxide removal.