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- Asset Management
- Buoy
- Canal
- Climate Change
- Controls
- Dam Safety
- Fish and Aquatic Resources
- Future Grid
- Generator
- Hydraulic Forecasting
- Hydraulic Optimization
- Hydrokinetic
- Intake Gates
- Markets
- Penstock
- Regulatory Process
- Renewable Integration
- Shoreline and Riparian Resources
- Spillgates
- Tidal
- Turbine
- Water Resources
- Water Systems
- Wave
Marine Energy
Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Reliability
Lead Companies
PNNL
Lead Researcher (s)
- George Bonheyo
The overall project objective is to make assessments (using coupons & substructures) and then provide a descriptive resource of materials properties and solutions that address the prioritized needs of the industry.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
Marine Energy
Marine Energy in the United States: An Overview of Opportunities
Lead Companies
National Renewable Energy Lab
Lead Researcher (s)
- Levi Kilcher
- Michelle Fogarty
- Michael Lawson
This report summarizes the best available data on U.S. marine energy resources at the national, state, and regional scales. Results are primarily based on U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded marine energy resource assessments for wave, tidal currents, ocean currents, ocean thermal gradients, and river currents.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic, Tidal, Wave
Status
complete
Completion Date
2021
Marine Energy
Maturation of Nontoxic, Durable, Economical Coatings forControl ofBiofouling and Corrosion on MHK Devices
Lead Companies
PNNL
Lead Researcher (s)
- George Bonheyo
The objective of this project is to mature and demonstrate durable, economical, and nontoxic coatings that will prevent fouling organisms from growing on MHK structures. A novel foul-release coating recently developed (initial patents filed in 2016 and 2017) at PNNL, Superhydrophobic Lubricant Infused Composite (SLIC) technology, will be adapted to provide the durability necessary for >5 year protection in the marine environment.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
Marine Energy
Ocean Observation Prize
Lead Companies
PNNL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Simon Geerlofs
Water Power Technologies Office is developing a prize competition called the Powering the Blue Economy: Ocean Observing Prize (Ocean Obs Prize). This prize seeks new ideas and new technologies to reduce energy limitations for ocean observing, by extending range or duration of observations, reducing operational costs, or enabling entirely new data streams that will lead to better understanding of the ocean environment. The prize is a core element of the Powering the Blue Economy Initiative. PNNL will collaborate directly with NREL and WPTO to provide technical expertise to design, support, and execute the prize.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Buoy
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
Pumped Storage
Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH) FAST Commissioning Prize Technical Analysis
Lead Companies
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Boualem Hadjerioua
The US energy landscape has undergone major changes over the past 10 years and will continue to see significant changes in future decades as the power grid increases its reliance on variable renewable energy resources. Because of the inherent variability of these resources, renewable energy growth may require additional energy storage capacity to provide flexible load-following capabilities and other grid services that can quickly adjust to changes in energy demand and generation. Pumped storage hydropower (PSH)—one such energy storage technology—uses pumps to convey water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir for energy storage and releases water back to the lower reservoir via a powerhouse for hydropower generation. PSH facility pump and generation cycling often follows economic and energy demand conditions. Across the United States, 43 PSH facilities are in operation and 55 projects are in various permitting or licensing stages. Altogether, the 43 operational projects provide the wide majority (95%) of utility-scale electricity storage in the United States. These facilities also provide significant power and nonpower grid benefits, including large-scale electrical system reserve capacity, grid reliability support, and electricity supply-demand balancing through quick-response capabilities and operational flexibility. PSH systems can accomplish these at a scale (e.g., size) and cost that makes these systems highly attractive from a technical standpoint. Although these research concepts are still in their infancy, they demonstrate promising potential as future PSH energy storage technologies. Although PSH has many advantages, development in the United States has effectively stalled since the 1990s, partially because of the magnitude of project costs and financing interest during development and construction, the length of time from project investment until project revenue begins, permitting challenges, construction risks, competition from other storage technologies (e.g., batteries, hydrogen storage), and electricity market evolution and uncertainty. In short, the time, cost, and risk associated with modern PSH development have resulted in limited growth in the United States recently, despite the growing energy storage demand stemming from increased wind and solar power deployment. Technology innovation is needed to help reduce PSH commissioning time, cost, and risk, particularly during the post-licensing phase of project development. To address challenges facing the PSH industry and to improve PSH commissioning timelines, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) initiated the PSH Furthering Advancements to Shorten Time to (FAST) Commissioning Prize project.
Technology Application
Pumped Storage
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Future Grid
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
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