PNNL

Abstract

As marine renewable energy technology is adapted or designed for Blue Economy end-uses, challenges unique to operation at sea and in remote coastal areas must be addressed to meet demands distinct from utility grid electricity generation. Foundational research and development with this end goal is conducted to broadly enable the initiative of Powering the Blue Economy. Determination of distinct R\&D topics is informed by pathways including an engineering design customer-driven approach and feedback from the creation and administration of prize competitions in the Blue Economy technology space. Critical research outcomes, such as determining the performance of small wave energy converters and benchmarking the reliability for power systems at sea, are among the goals of ten foundational R\&D projects currently underway.