Funding Notice: Oceans of Opportunity: U.S. Wave Energy Open Water Testing

On September 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) opened an opportunity for up to $112.5 million in funding to advance the commercial readiness of wave energy technologies through open water testing and system validation. This five-year investment will significantly accelerate the design, fabrication, and testing of multiple wave energy converters (WECs), which harness power from ocean waves. 

Wave energy, a type of marine energy, can provide local, affordable, and clean energy for U.S. electric grids, coastal communities, and offshore work and the blue economy. For example, it can help power rural and remote island communities, which often rely on expensive shipments of fossil fuels.

Wave energy is abundant and complementary to other renewable energy sources, like wind energy and solar power. While it is not yet widely deployed across the country, the total available wave energy resource in the United States is equivalent to approximately 34% of all U.S. power generation. Even if only a portion of this technical resource potential is captured, wave energy technologies would make significant contributions to U.S. energy needs. 

This opportunity is designed to reduce risks for deployments, increase the potential for commercial adoption through longer-duration demonstrations (expected to last six months to two years), and offer additional benefits to help quickly advance WECs. This includes the ability to identify and mature high-potential WEC technologies, reduce financial risks for developers and incentivize investors, progress technologies at smaller scales while developing toward utility scale, and increase learning for installation, operations, and maintenance. 

This opportunity will fund projects in three topic areas:

1. Up to $16.875 million for wave device development and open water testing for dispersed (e.g., remote/offshore) use cases and power-at-sea applications.
2. Up to $45 million for wave device development in direct support of coastal community needs, which may include power and/or desalinated water applications. 
3. Up to $50.625 million for wave device development in support of utility power needs, utilizing offshore, grid-connected testing facilities such as PacWave.

Up to 17 awards are anticipated under the Oceans of Opportunity: U.S. Wave Energy Open Water Testing funding opportunity. Individual awards may vary between $2.41 million and $25.313 million.

Applicants must submit a concept paper by 5 p.m. ET on October 25, 2024, to be eligible to submit a full application. 

Funding for this opportunity is subject to congressional appropriations.

If applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) regarding this funding opportunity, they should register in the EERE Program Information Center. Registration instructions are available in the Quick Guides for Industry, Academia, Non-Profit, and Government, DOE National Labs, and Individual applicants as well as in this video.

Important EERE Program Information Center Registration Details

Action required to register in SAM.gov and the EERE Program Information Center! This funding opportunity instructs interested applicants to create an account in the EERE Program Information Center if they wish to apply. As part of this process, applicants must register and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in SAM.gov. Due to the high demand of UEI requests and SAM registrations, validations are taking longer than expected to process. Please start the UEI and SAM registration process as soon as possible to avoid delays. Full instructions are available on the Oceans of Opportunity announcement page in the EERE Program Information Center. Please see the document titled “IMPORTANT - ACTION REQUIRED -- EPIC Registration Requirements to Apply for Oceans of Opportunity V1” in the “Other Publication Documents” section.

If applicants have attempted to obtain a UEI but have not received one and are concerned that it may impact their ability to submit a concept paper by the deadline, applicants may register in the EERE Program Information Center as an “Individual” to submit a concept paper. (Individual accounts do not require a UEI.) If applicants use this option, they are required to continue the SAM.gov registration process to obtain a UEI prior to submitting a full application and should clearly state their organization in application documents (concept paper and full application). DOE will not make federal awards to an applicant until the applicant has completed SAM registration and has a valid UEI number

Additional Information 

• Download the full funding opportunity on the EERE Program Information Center.
• For FOA-specific support, contact [email protected].  
• Learn about efforts underway as part of WPTO’s Marine Energy Program.
• Sign up for the EERE funding list to get notified of new EERE funding opportunities. 
• Receive the latest information on WPTO funding opportunities, events, and other news by subscribing to the bimonthly Water Column newsletter, as well as the comprehensive, monthly Water Wire newsletter.