WPTO funds two projects aiming to utilize wave energy to create drinking water

Marine energy technology, like this wave energy device from Northwest Energy Innovations, is still in an early stage of development. Many take their first ocean plunge at the United States Navy's Wave Energy Test Site near Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, which is pictured here. Photo from Northwest Energy Innovations

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) announced nearly $2 million for projects at two universities aiming to advance research on wave-powered technology to desalinate seawater for clean drinking water.

“The United States holds tremendous wave energy resources that can be harnessed to produce clean drinking water and support coastal energy needs as well as power offshore work and electricity grids,” said WPTO Director Matthew Grosso. “These projects will advance systems to produce drought-resistant drinking water for coastal communities and in disaster-relief situations.”

The two selected projects are:

  • A wave-powered pumpless seawater desalination system: Purdue University, based in West Lafayette, Indiana, will develop a wave-powered desalination system that uses hydraulics instead of electricity. Hydraulics use the movement and pressure from fluid – in this case, water – to filter and produce clean drinking water. Researchers aim to maximize the system’s efficiency and minimize operations and maintenance costs. (Award amount: $999,523)
  • Hydraulic switch-mode power transformer power-take off for wave-powered reverse osmosis desalination: The University of Minnesota, based in Minneapolis, will advance a power take-off system for a wave-powered desalination system designed to produce both electricity and clean drinking water. The power take-off system converts the power from waves to generate electricity and generates direct hydraulic pressure to produce clean drinking water. The wave-powered desalination system can operate independently and with “minimal disruptions” by having this dual capability to generate electricity and hydraulic pressure and can power other auxiliary processes and systems in utility-scale desalination plants. Researchers aim to increase the amount of water the system can produce, decrease the size of certain components, and reduce the cost of the power take-off system. Project partners include the University of Michigan and Novus Technical Services. (Award amount: $997,798)

These two projects were selected through WPTO’s Marine Energy Systems Innovation at Sea funding opportunitySeven projects were initially selected through this opportunity in July 2023, and these additional projects were selected due to the availability of additional funds, WPTO said.

U.S. wave energy resources are equivalent to 34% of the country’s electricity generation, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). When including floating wind and other marine energy sources, that number reaches nearly 60%. Therefore, even if only a small portion of this technical resource potential is captured, marine energy technologies could make “significant” contributions to U.S. energy needs. 

Last week, DOE announced an investment of more than $18 million for 27 research and development (R&D) projects focused on advancing marine energy and offshore wind technologies with the goal of more widely deploying renewable energy sources. These projects at 17 universities, including five minority-serving institutions, will address challenges facing marine and ocean renewable energy industries and spur innovation and development. 

In October, WPTO announced nearly $16.7 million for 25 small-business-led hydropower and marine energy projects through Phase I and Phase II of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. These projects — 10 focused on hydropower and 15 focused on marine energy — are meant to help advance hydropower and marine energy technologies. Phase I projects represent initial funding awards, while Phase II projects involve continued research and development efforts from Phase I.

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