Abstract
The marine energy (ME) industry continues to emerge as a vital element of our energy future. To scientists and advocates the promise of these technologies is clear – more than 2,300 TWh/yr of potential resources lie within US waters alone, amounting to approximately 60% of the country’s annual energy demand (Kilcher, Fogarty and Lawson, 2021). Capturing even a fraction of this vast, predictable, and low-impact energy source would drive economic growth, energy security, and environmental resilience. To do so, researchers and developers have been steadily working to solve the immense challenges of drawing power from the sea. Depending on the available resource and environmental conditions, different types of marine energy device may be utilized. As such, research has converged on three main forms of devices: wave energy converters (WECs) to capture energy from the motion of surface waves, current energy converters (CECs) and tidal energy converters (TECs) for areas subject to flowing water, and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) devices for areas with extreme temperature differences between deeper waters and the surface. Across each of these technologies, however, foundational research gaps persist. To maximize these devices’ efficiency and reliability, and therefore achieve commercial readiness, additional funding and research efforts must be focused on their power take-off (PTO) and control components. Without mastering these critical technologies, domestic devices will struggle to meet the ambitious deployment goals of US states or compete with developers abroad in the global market. As governments worldwide race to develop marine energy standards and supply chains, U.S.-based developers cannot afford to lag behind in these fundamental areas. This report compiles the recommendations of industry and academic leaders from the University Marine Energy Research Community (UMERC) and identifies nine research priorities for further support in the area of PTO and Controls for marine energy technologies. These recommendations are summarized, in part, below in Table 1.
Drawing from expert suggestions from a series of workshops and working groups, this report lays out a coordinated strategy for the development of standardized, scalable, and certifiable PTO technologies that can serve a range of applications—from off-grid autonomous systems to large-scale grid-connected farms. Recommendations span nine critical focus areas including: standardizing PTO design processes and certification frameworks to streamline development and reduce costs, marinizing and weatherizing electrical machines for long-term reliability in ocean and riverine environments, developing power electronics for wide voltage ranges to enhance energy conversion efficiency and grid integration, and advancing survivability mechanisms to protect PTOs from extreme sea states and prolonged fatigue loads. By funding and implementing these strategies, the pathway to commercial marine energy deployment will be accelerated, ensuring the U.S. leads in energy innovation. This report is a technical assessment and a call to action for policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers to support scalable, cost-effective, and resilient marine energy solutions to power the American economy.