The Virtual Seedling Water Power Innovation R&D Showcase brought together more than 40 researchers to provide details and insight into innovations funded through the WPTO Seedlings program, a novel effort funding advancements in marine energy.
Water Power Technologies Office
March 9, 2022
minute read time
Marine Energy Program
Foundational R&D
Project Name: Seedling Water Power Innovation and R&D Showcase
Project Team: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Idaho National Laboratory
On Aug. 11, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) hosted a virtual showcase in which researchers from the DOE national labs presented the projects they conducted through the Seedlings Program. This program, which WPTO established in 2019, has provided more than 60 smaller funding awards to national lab researchers—often junior researchers—to explore new projects and creative ideas in marine energy and hydropower.
During the four-hour event, 41 researchers presented 39 projects and their solutions, failures, and lessons to an audience of more than 150 attendees that included peers, WPTO staff, industry stakeholders, and the general public. By providing a platform for researchers to exhibit their work, the showcase increased the visibility of several projects led by DOE’s national laboratories and WPTO’s novel funding mechanism.
Foundational R&D Projects
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Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory outfitted the SeaRAY autonomous offshore power system with a customized Modular Ocean Data Acquisition system, which will allow handlers to control the device from afar and collect real-time data. -
A multilab team of researchers identifies renewable marine energy resource potential and continues to refine these assessments as resources are further developed.
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