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Last Updated on: March 6th, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Advancing Marine Energy Technologies Through State-of-the-Art Facilities
By Caitlin McDermott-Murphy
This article kicks off the “Found at Flatirons” series highlighting distinctive technologies developed at NREL’s campus located in Arvada, Colorado.
Within an expansive testing area characterized by robust concrete walls and fitted with advanced machinery, a crane delicately maneuvers a small replica of a lunar lander out of a large water tank. Water droplets cascade off the metallic structure as it is lowered onto solid ground. With the machine now primed for action, the countdown begins.
Brittany Lydon, a graduate student studying mechanical engineering at the University of Washington noted that this moment felt akin to an intense pit stop during a race car event where every second counts. While her apparatus won’t be venturing to space anytime soon; it’s being prepared to tackle another demanding environment—the ocean.
Harnessing Ocean Power
Lydon’s innovative device aims to capture wave energy—a resource classified within marine energy sectors known for being challenging yet promising as it harnesses kinetic potential from currents and tides present in our oceans and rivers. Ample statistics indicate that U.S waters have sufficient marine energy potential capable of fulfilling approximately sixty percent of national electricity requirements—though extracting even a fraction could significantly benefit offshore industries (such as aquaculture), empower coastal communities during outages or natural disasters and assist in achieving broader national energy objectives.
Nonetheless, developers encountering hurdles while pioneering new marine energies require specialized facilities outfitted with tools designed explicitly for evaluating cutting-edge technology like theirs. For example; researchers working on solar panels can simply test prototypes outdoors but deploying untested equipment into unpredictable ocean environments resembles sending an experimental spacecraft into orbit without proper preparation.
Navigating Unpredictable Waters
“In certain respects; one might argue space exploration poses less complexity compared to tackling ocean challenges,” stated Ben McGilton.” An electrical engineer attached to NREL who focuses on advancing systems in marine energy technology further elaborated that aspects such as gravity radiation/vacuum may adhere predictably whereas volatile conditions encountered beneath salty seawater encompass unforeseen variables difficult if not impossible perfectly replicate beforehand,’ he said.<''em>
