Workshop Helps Guide Investments in Marine Energy Materials and Manufacturing

Sandia National Laboratories (lead), Montana State University, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 

In October 2021, Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) hosted a virtual workshop on the marine energy industry’s current and future materials and manufacturing research needs. More than 100 participants from academia, industry, and U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories shared ideas on research needs and funding gaps that may need to be addressed to advance marine energy and help build longer lasting and more affordable and efficient marine energy technologies. This feedback will help WPTO strategize future research and development investments in materials and manufacturing, specifically for wave and current energy technologies. 

New materials and manufacturing processes could help the marine energy industry advance and achieve the United States’ clean energy goals. For example, new materials that are more flexible, resilient, recyclable, effective at harnessing energy, or environmentally friendly are potential solutions to help advance marine energy. Further, new manufacturing processes, like additive manufacturing, could help minimize development costs for industries beyond marine energy. The workshop’s partners helped organize the event, prepared content for breakout sessions, and took notes for a summary report, which provides major insights from workshop discussions, along with synopses of nine case studies presented by marine energy experts.