DOE launches wave energy competition
28 April 2015
The US Department of Energy (DOE) opened the registration period for the new Wave Energy Prize competition that aims to double the state-of-the-art performance of wave energy conversion (WEC) devices over the next two years. DOE announced the Wave Energy Prize at the International Marine Renewable Energy Conference co-located at the National Hydropower Association Annual Conference.
Marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies convert the energy of waves, tides, and river and ocean currents into electricity. The Wave Energy Prize provides an opportunity for participants to:
Win a monetary prize.
Receive seed funding to build a 1/20th scale model WEC device for testing.
Participate in two rounds of WEC testing, including the final round at the US Navy’s Maneuvering and Seakeeping Basin in Carderock, Maryland, the nation’s premier wave testing facility.
Contribute to the development of innovative clean energy technologies that boost US energy security.
The judging panel will include technical experts from: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico; National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado; Naval Surface Warfare Center—Carderock Division, Bethesda, Maryland; and Ricardo, Inc., Van Buren Township, Michigan. The Department expects to select finalists and alternates in early 2016. Participants can register through June 15, 2015.
This prize competition builds on the Energy Department’s ongoing efforts to demonstrate and reduce the costs of these emerging technologies by supporting the design, manufacture, testing, and evaluation of marine and hydrokinetic energy devices.
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