Marine Energy Research
NREL research, development, and economic analyses help drive and empower the development of the marine energy industry.
At NREL, scientists and engineers advance technologies to capture energy from waves, tides, ocean currents, and river currents, which could deliver renewable electricity to the grid and power offshore needs. Collaborating closely with the U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office and the marine energy community, NREL researchers leverage their extensive expertise in numerical modeling, laboratory testing, and open-water validation. Marine energy stakeholders benefit from NREL's decades of renewable energy experience as they build solutions that can support and accelerate the development of the evolving blue economy.
To learn more about what marine energy is and how it works, explore NREL’s Marine Energy Basics or tour REDi Island, a virtual world powered entirely by renewable energy. Additionally, to learn more about the marine energy community and research visit the Portal and Repository for Information on Marine Renewable Energy.
Capabilities
NREL's marine energy research capabilities include:
Recent News
Test: The Epic Story of the Controllable Grid Interface
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In September 2013, a team of National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers, led by Vahan Gevorgian and Robb Wallen, faced a looming deadline. Not only did the brand-new 5-megawatt (MW) dynamometer need to be up and running, connected to a 2.75-MW wind turbine nacelle as a trial technology component, but the power generated by the nacelle also had to be sent through the never-before-tried Controllable Grid Interface (CGI) and back to the grid.
As if that was not enough pressure, a record flood hit the Boulder, Colorado, area near what is now known as NREL’s Flatirons Campus, where the team’s work was being conducted.
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Last Updated Dec. 9, 2024