Author: US DOE Staff Published: 9/23/2024 EERE
Water Power Technologies Office
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 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.
FOA NUMBER: DE-FOA-0003415
FUNDING AMOUNT: Up to $112.5 million
CONCEPT PAPERS DUE DATE:
10/25/2024 at 5 p.m. ET
WEBINAR: 10/9/2024, 11 a.m. ET
Wave energy is abundant and complementary to other renewable energy source 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:
- 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.
- Up to $45 million for wave device development in direct support of coastal community needs, which may include power and/or desalinated water applications.
- 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 Oct. 25, 2024, to be eligible to submit a full application.
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.
Webinar
DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office will host an informational webinar on Oct. 9, 2024 at 11 a.m. ET, to discuss the funding opportunity and areas of focus. Register for the webinar.
Funding for this FOA is subject to congressional appropriations.
Learn more about other funding opportunities within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy