Abstract
The "Powering the Blue Economy" (PBE) Report identified ocean observing and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) recharge as near-term markets with significant potential for marine energy integration when specified qualitative and quantitative assessment criteria were used. The ocean observing market (including AUVs) scored high relative to other markets analyzed in the PBE Report with respect to market size, marine renewable energy (MRE) compatibility with functional requirements, competitive positioning (i.e., MRE versus other power sources), path to market, and alignment to the Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) and other agencies' objectives. Based on this scoring, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) pursued the development of five use cases that represent a spectrum of ocean observation platforms, fixed and mobile, to explore the present and future power needs that might be satisfied by marine energy. The use cases were described and analyzed for this potential by examining current missions and future needs, evaluating the mix of renewable energy sources that might satisfy those needs at sea, and understanding the overall cost drivers that might enable this application.