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.

November 15, 2022

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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