USA awards USD 24.9m to hydro, marine energy projects

USA awards USD 24.9m to hydro, marine energy projects

DOE Announces $24.9 Million Funding Selections to Advance Hydropower and Water Technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced selections for up to $24.9 million in funding to drive innovative, industry-led technology solutions to advance the marine and hydrokinetics industry and increase hydropower’s ability to serve as a flexible grid resource. Innovative water power technologies have the potential to increase the affordability of hydropower and marine energy. Selected projects will also strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and build on department-wide initiatives to improve the capability of technologies to deliver value to the grid.

Projects were selected across four Areas of Interest (AOI)—Hydropower Operational Flexibility, Low-Head Hydropower and In-Stream Hydrokinetic Technologies, Advancing Wave Energy Device Design, and Marine Energy Centers Research Infrastructure Upgrades.

Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes said:

“Hydropower is a valuable national resource and these technologies will make it an even more competitive clean energy option to invest in the Blue Economy. These awards are another example of this Administration reaffirming its commitment to an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy policy to the benefit of the entire nation.”

AOI 1: Hydropower Operational Flexibility

Projects awarded under this area of interest will quantify the flexible capabilities of hydropower and advance operational strategies to increase such flexibility to better serve an evolving grid.

AOI 2: Low-Head Hydropower and In-Stream Hydrokinetic Technologies

Projects awarded under this area will focus on the development of two types of technologies—standard modular hydropower (SMH) and current energy converters (CECs). CEC technologies extract kinetic energy from rivers without the need for a dam or diversion, whereas SMH technologies use dams or other structures with turbines to create head—differences in water elevation—and generate power.

AOI 3: Advancing Wave Energy Device Design

Projects awarded under this area will drive performance improvements in WEC devices in preparation for open-water testing, where wave energy has the greatest energy capture potential and lowest unit costs.

AOI 4: Marine Energy Centers Research Infrastructure Upgrades 

Projects awarded under this area will upgrade necessary infrastructure at existing National Marine Renewable Energy Centers (NMRECs) to enable broader industry access and reduce technical barriers to incubating advanced marine and hydrokinetic technologies.