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Three Modeling Tools Accelerate The Developments of Marine Energy Technolopgies
Lead Companies
NREL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Michael Lawson
Enough power flows through U.S. rivers and oceans to meet up to 60% of the country’s electricity needs. But before today’s early-stage marine energy technologies can harness some of that power, they need to overcome a few challenges, such as a volatile ocean and high development costs. And to do that, technology developers need reliable tools to understand and overcome the challenges they face. That’s why researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed several open-source, validated, and customizable numerical tools for technology developers. With these tools, the marine energy community can assess their devices’ potential power output, predict how their technologies might handle extreme loads (like extreme waves), and learn how changing one component might affect their device’s performance. The lab’s models generate highly accurate, reliable, robust data that can help marine energy devices leap from the computer screen to the ocean and, eventually, the power grid.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Status
complete
Completion Date
2022
- Marine Energy
Tools for Innovation
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Sandia National Laboratory (SNL)
Lead Researcher (s)
- Simon Geerlofs, PNNL
- Bernadette Hernandez-Sanchez, SNL
This project supports research, analysis and strategy refinement in the area of Marine Energy Materials and Manufacturing. Specifically, activities under this project include engaging with additional stakeholders, including other DOE EERE office personnel as well as external industry and university experts working in the materials and manufacturing space, to refine and finalize the draft strategy under development for WPTO on Marine Energy Materials and Manufacturing. Additionally, working with WPTO to guide oversight of FOA projects focused on materials and manufacturing R&D.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
Expected 2022
- Marine Energy
Triton Initiative
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Alicia Amerson
The aim of the Triton Initiative is to reduce the overall costs and increase the effectiveness of the environmental monitoring at MHK installations. This is achieved by: 1) supporting research and development to improve the technical performance of environmental monitoring devices (Funding Opportunity Awardee (FOA Support)2) improving the quality and relevance of the data collected by such devices (Fish Mesocosm Studies); and 3) standardizing monitoring technologies and data streams to improve comparability and between-project data transferability (Triton Field Trials – TFIT). This streamlines the evaluation processes required for MHK developments by targeting key environmental issues and establishing efficient ways to measure and monitor the environment and devices. Ultimately, these activities will accelerate the permitting process, which benefits regulators, developers and ocean users, and will reduce the cost of marine renewable energy.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
U.S. TEAMER Support
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Sandia National Laboratory (SNL)
Lead Researcher (s)
- Nicole Sather, PNNL
- Jesse Roberts, SNL
The U.S. Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) Program provides access to MHK testing facilities, as well as expertise to increase rigor and standardize data collection, and allow for transparent analysis and comparison of performance. PNNL's role (along with NREL and Sandia) is to provide input into the strategic vision of TEAMER, serve on the Technical Board for test participant selections, provide access to test facilities and environmental permits (as needed), provide expert testing assistance and training during testing, develop standardized protocols for data collection and testing (in coordination with Network Director) to be provided and adhered to by test participants, consult and utilize international standards as appropriate, provide numerical modeling and engineering expertise to participants, and provide routine feedback to U.S. TEAMER Management Team for how the program is working and opportunities for improvement
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability, Technology
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2025
- Marine Energy
Wave Energy Converter Design Optimization
Lead Companies
Sandia National Laboratories
Lead Researcher (s)
- Ryan Coe
Wave energy converter (WEC) designs to date—including Reference Model (RM) designs by the DOE and those submitted for the Wave Energy Prize—have followed a traditional design/build/test approach that requires potentially costly iteration. There are two significant shortcomings with this design approach: (1) WEC design theory builds on knowledge from naval architecture and offshore engineering, but fails to fully utilize design/analysis tools for oscillating systems (e.g., from electronics), and (2) current WEC design is ad-hoc, where designers clarify overarching system parameters to define the geometry of the device, then design a control system that is constrained by the hydrodynamics of that previously set geometry. More robust, analytical design approaches, utilizing optimization algorithms, have yet to take hold in the WEC development community, due to the lack of an efficient modeling/control design approach. This project seeks to overcome these critical issues in WEC design by creating a hybrid optimization system that simultaneously optimizes geometry and controls of existing WEC concepts. Highly-efficient model/analysis approaches which utilize pseudo-spectral methods to consider the dynamics of the entire system will be leveraged with this optimization system. Using the tool developed by this project, existing WEC concepts can be optimized for reduced LCOE and reduced CapEx/O&M costs.B) GOVERNMENT ROLE: These projects are collaborations between Sandia National Labs and private WEC developers. These collaborations allow these WEC developers to access unique engineering expertise at Sandia.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Wave
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
Wave Energy Converter Interlink
Lead Companies
PNNL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Leo Fifield
This project led by NREL and PNNL, in partnership with offshore cable experts Delmar Systems Inc. (Delmar) and the University of Southampton, will accelerate the development and reduce LCOE of commercial wave energy systems by empowering the design and utilization of robust and cost-effective medium voltage power and communication umbilicals that connect floating WECs to subsea transmission lines. This two-year project will utilize accepted industry practices from offshore wind and oil & gas and existing software tools (WEC-Sim and OrcaFlex) to evaluate the lifecycle mechanical and electrical performance of interlink umbilicals (umbilicals), define expected requirements, and make suggested improvements based on a techno-economic evaluation.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Wave
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
Don’t see your waterpower research?
Have questions about WaRP?
Contact Marla Barnes at: marla@hydro.org