As the U.S. continues on its clean energy transition, investment and research in offshore energy continues to grow.
And while much of that attention has been on offshore wind energy, more funding and experimentation is also being put on marine energy.
Marine energy technologies use the kinetic power of waves, currents, tides, and thermal energy of deep cold water to surface water conversion and generate clean energy, according to the Department of Energy. This can be done in multiple ways, including using buoys to capture energy from the ocean’s vertical and horizontal movement, or using turbines that can harness energy from tides and currents.
While the U.S. does not yet have any commercially operating wave energy projects, multiple efforts are underway to bring such projects to the market for utility-scale use.
In September, the Department of Energy announced $112.5 million for marine energy research and development efforts, the largest ever funding opportunity to commercialize wave energy technologies.
The money is for the design, fabrication, and testing of multiple wave energy converters, which are used to harness energy from the ocean. Funding will support R&D and testing for t-sea applications, such as ocean observation, aquaculture, and marine carbon dioxide removal; coastal community needs, such as power and clean drinking water production; and utility electricity needs that can be tested at the facility PacWave South.
“The Department of Energy’s investment in wave energy will provide consistent, long-term funding to American developers so they can advance their technologies with the goal of providing millions of Americans with locally sourced, clean, and reliable energy,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in the announcement.
Wave energy conversion is one of a growing number of alternative energy forms that has the potential to aid in the clean energy transition. The marine energy can provide energy for electric grids, coastal island communities, another aspect of the administration’s bid to grow its energy independence.
Wave energy’s total resource potential is equivalent to 34 percent of all domestic power generation, according to the Department of Energy.
Prior to the recent investment from the administration, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has been working on multiple projects exploring the use of marine energy. In 2023, the NREL announced it was working on four projects exploring how to affordably harness energy from the waves.
The projects focused on improving four different wave energy converter machines, thanks to $24.9 million from the Department of Energy. The converters were being designed for testing at the PaceWave South test site off the coast of Oregon. This new testing facility is slated for completion later this year, with grid-connected testing expected to start in spring or summer 2025.
As the Biden administration explores more clean energy alternatives, marine energy offers several advantages, including its bountiful resources, resilience as an energy source and high predictability given the cycles of waves, according to the Energy Department.
The energy source was highlighted as part of the Biden administration’s Ocean Climate Action Plan, released in March 2023.
“There is no path to a healthy and livable climate without the ocean. Humans can benefit from the ocean’s potential to advance transformational, urgent, and immediate actions that address the climate crisis and stem the harms that climate change is already causing to coastal communities, marine resources, and the sustainable ocean economy,” according to the plan.
Marine energy can also work in coordination with other clean energy sources, boosting its efficiency. Wind energy and marine energy also have the potential to complement one another, according to the Oceantic Network.
Wind and marine energy share balance-of-system infrastructure, meaning “wave energy converters (WECs) can boost the capacity factors of offshore projects without significantly increasing costs.”
Together, the two resources can maximize the energy potential of the seabed and enable a higher energy production capacity per square mile. Wave energy can help fill capacity gaps if wind energy is not working at full capacity.
Amid the U.S.’s current exploration of clean energy resources, it’s important for stakeholders to become more aware of fields like marine energy, which have historically lacked visibility and funding. It’s only by developing a myriad of viable clean energy options that the country will be able to fully transition to a clean energy economy.