Abstract
The field of marine and hydrokinetic energy(or marine renewable energy) includes technologies used to convert the energy of waves, tides, currents and ocean thermal gradients primarily into electricity. Compared to traditional energy generation sources, and more established renewables (such as wind and solar), marine and hydrokinetic energy is in the early stages of development(corresponding to low technology readiness levels). The nascent state of marine and hydrokinetics means the field is full of challenges and opportunities, where innovation has the potential to produce a dramatic shift in the direction and commercial success of the industry as whole. Critical at this stage of development is the establishment of a collaborative environment where sharing data is the norm. Data in this context is defined to generally include the following: reports, research findings, lessons learned, industry standards, solutions to common problems, laboratory or field measurements, open source codes, simulations, etc. As demonstrated in other fields, sharing data can reduce cost,accelerate the development of technology, and even spur innovation. This paper describes efforts to enable data sharing and collaboration in the field of marine and hydrokinetic through the development of PRIMRE, the Portal and Repository for Information on Marine Renewable Energy.