University of Hawaii Advances Wave Energy Research Through TEAMER

The Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research program is helping the University of Hawaii test a wave-powered ocean observation platform and breakwater.

This is part three of a series of articles highlighting projects advanced through the U.S. Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) program. TEAMER provides marine energy technology researchers and developers with streamlined access to U.S.-based test facilities and world-class technical expertise. Since TEAMER launched in 2020, the program has supported more than 160 marine energy physical testing and numerical modeling projects with more than $28 million in technical support. 

Marine energy is still a relatively young field and using just one-tenth of the available marine energy resources in the United States could power 22 million homes. Accessing funding, expertise, and locations for testing can be difficult for technology developers. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the TEAMER program to help overcome these barriers and advance the viability of marine energy. Sponsored by the Hydropower and Hydrokinetic Office (H2O) and directed by the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust, TEAMER offers developers and researchers the opportunity to test and refine their marine energy technologies at a range of facilities in the TEAMER Network.

TEAMER’s support allowed the University of Hawai’i (UH) to advance two oscillating water column (OWC) technologies. An OWC is a type of wave energy converter (WEC) that harnesses energy from waves. It uses the power of waves, funneled into an open chamber, to pressurize air. That pressurized air then spins a turbine and generates electricity. 

Read the full article on the U.S. Department of Energy website.