Three California Teams Continue Quest to Win $2 Million Prize Purse
From Renewable Energy World Editors on March 1, 2016
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced that nine teams, including three from California, have been named finalists in the Wave Energy Prize – a 20-month design-build-test competition – and will proceed to the next phase of the competition.
The nine finalists and two alternates will continue their quest to double the energy captured from ocean waves and win a prize purse totaling more than $2 million.
Finalists Receive Seed Funding from DOE
Each of the finalists and alternates will now receive seed funding from DOE to develop 1/20th scale models of their wave energy converter (WEC) technologies. These models will be tested at the nation’s most advanced wave-making facility, the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Maneuvering and Seakeeping (MASK) Basin at Carderock, Md., beginning in the summer of 2016.
California finalists:
- CalWave (Berkeley, CA)
- SEWEC (Redwood City, CA)
- Waveswing America (Sacramento, CA).
“The qualified teams’ efforts resulted in some very promising technologies for the judges to evaluate,” said Wes Scharmen, principal investigator at Ricardo Inc. and chief judge of the Wave Energy Prize.
“Based on our preliminary evaluation, the data indicates that many of the teams identified as finalists have the potential to achieve the ACE threshold, and thus the potential to exceed DOE’s program goal.”
ACE, a benefit-to-cost ratio, is determined by dividing, in essence, the wave energy extraction efficiency of a WEC by its structural cost.
Competition Promotes Development of Efficient WEC Devices
The Wave Energy Prize is encouraging the development of game-changing WECs that will reduce the cost of wave energy, making it more competitive with traditional energy solutions.
To follow the progress of the Wave Energy Prize or for more information, go to waveenergyprize.org
