The U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office Powering the Blue Economy™ initiative is a meaningful first step toward protecting, understanding, and leveraging the immense power and promise of the oceans to help us achieve our collective economic, social, and environmental goals. Collaboration and engagement are central to efforts supporting communities and marine life while sustainably providing power to the blue economy.
WPTO's Marine Energy e-newsletter shares news and updates on tools, analysis, and emerging technologies to advance marine energy.
WPTO's e-newsletter brings hydropower and marine energy funding opportunities, events, publications, & activities directly to your inbox.
November 15, 2022
Ripple Effect: Christopher Ruhl and How Football Led to a Passion for Engineering Tidal Energy
It was summer football training that brought Christopher Ruhl to mechanical engineering. Now a Ph.D. candidate and fellow in the Marine Energy Graduate Student Research Program, he uses those skills to study turbulence and and how it affects tidal energy.
October 25, 2022
Ripple Effect: Claire Gonzales and Scuba Diving into Ocean-Powered Fisheries
At age 17, Claire Gonzales took her first deep ocean dive. Now, as a 2022 fellow in the Marine Energy Graduate Student Research Program, she works on co-locating marine energy with fisheries to help the world protect the ocean one ripple at a time.
October 14, 2022
Ripple Effect: From Milk-Can Cars to Underwater Vehicles, Habilou Ouro-Koura Is Harnessing Power
As a kid, Habilou Ouro-Koura liked to break stuff. Now, as a 2022 fellow with the Marine Energy Graduate Student Research Program, Ouro-Koura is helping make ocean thermal energy practical so the world can fix climate change one ripple at a time.
September 29, 2022
WPTO Releases $10 Million Funding Opportunity to Advance Marine Energy Innovation
WPTO issued a $10.3 million funding opportunity to accelerate the development and testing of renewable marine energy technologies with a focus on wave and ocean current resources.
August 11, 2022
WPTO Announces Upcoming $10 Million Funding Opportunity to Advance Marine Energy Innovation
WPTO published a notice of intent to issue a $10 million funding opportunity to support wave-powered technology innovation. Learn more about this proposed funding opportunity, which WPTO expects to release in September.
August 10, 2022
Ocean Observing Prize Supporters Help Build an Ecosystem to Support Marine Energy Pioneers
The Ocean Observing Prize challenges participants to develop innovative technologies that can help better understand, map, and monitor the oceans. Sponsors support these teams in turning their designs into reality.
July 1, 2022
Competing to Advance Clean Marine Power
Nicholas May-Varas participated in the 2021 and 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competitions on the Oregon State University team. Learn why he thinks increasing access to renewable energy is so important and his advice for the next generation.
June 29, 2022
From a Collegiate Competition to the Marine Industry
Murphy Gay competed in the inaugural Marine Energy Collegiate Competition in 2020. Read about his experience, career goals, and vision for a future that runs on renewable energy.
June 8, 2022
For World Ocean Day, Here’s What Ocean Energy Can Do for Our Economy—Our Blue Economy, To Be Exact
On World Ocean Day, WPTO Director Jennifer Garson discusses the incredible power and potential of our oceans and WPTO’s research on new ways to harness this resource to generate clean electricity.
June 1, 2022
DOE Announces Winners of 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition
DOE announced the winners of the 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC). Webb Institute emerged as the overall winner in this third annual competition