Marine Energy Program

Marine energy uses natural energy from moving water to produce renewable power. This energy can come from waves, tides, and river or ocean currents. The power coursing through oceans and rivers could meet nearly 60% of the United States’ total electricity needs. Even if only a small portion of the energy from these waterways is harvested, marine energy could still make significant contributions to the nation’s energy needs and provide millions of Americans with locally-sourced, reliable, and affordable energy. 

Marine energy also offers opportunities to provide energy to remote and island communities and to power blue economy applications such as ocean observation technology and desalination devices. 

To maximize the potential of marine energy, the Water Power Technologies Office’s Marine Energy Program conducts research and development and supports demonstration efforts to advance the development of cost-effective marine energy technologies and reduce barriers to testing these devices. The program comprises four core R&D activity areas that follow a strategic approach to addressing the challenges facing U.S. marine energy stakeholders:

1) Foundational R&D

2) Technology-Specific System Design & Validation

3) Reducing Barriers to Testing

4) Data Access & Analytics.

Picture of an indoor wave testing facility

TEAMER

The Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) program is designed to provide marine energy technology developers and researchers with access to U.S.-based test facilities and technical expertise.

close up of a marine energy device on the ocean surface

Marine Energy Collegiate Competition

The Marine Energy Collegiate Competition challenges multidisciplinary collegiate teams to design solutions that can help power sectors in the blue economy, offering students hands-on experience in the marine energy sector.

Marine Energy Images

Check out WPTO's marine energy image library to learn more about marine energy technologies.

Marine Energy

     

Marine Energy Newsletters

To stay up to date on the latest marine energy news and funding opportunities, subscribe to WPTO's Water Column newsletter. Additionally, subscribe to the Water Wire newsletter for the latest water power-related news, events, funding opportunities and more.