The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $16m funding for 17 wave and tidal energy projects on 29 August 2013.
Of the total funding, around $13.5m will be used to develop new drivetrain, generator and structural components and also to develop software that predicts ocean conditions and adjusts device settings accordingly to optimize power production.
Around $2.4m will be spent on nine projects that will gather and analyze environmental data from wave and tidal projects as well as potential development areas.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is providing $300,000 for these awards. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy assistant secretary David Danielson said, “Wave and tidal energy represent a large, untapped resource for the United States and responsible development of this clean, renewable energy source is an important part of our all-of-the-above energy strategy.”
The firms that will receive the funding are Dehlsen Associates, Ocean Renewable Power Company, Resolute Marine Energy, ABB, Columbia Power Technologies, Ocean EnergyUSA, Ocean Power Technologies, University of Maine, Electric Power Research Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Washington, Oregon State University, Florida Atlantic University, HT Harvey & Associates, and Vantuna ResearchGroup.
