A recording of the FOA Webinar held 7/22/2021 is here: https://youtu.be/0KqRyn57BmE
A copy of the slides is found under DOCUMENTS below.
Modification 0004
The purpose of this modification is to add additional resources to Appendix G - Example performance Metrics. The word "design" is also added to Topic Area 1, Budget Period 2 title in Table 3 to clarify expectations for the Budget Period.
Modification 0003
The purpose of this modification is to amend Table 3 for Topic Area 1. See page 2 of the FOA for details.
Modification 0002
The purposes of this modification are to:
1. Revise Topic Area 1 Anticipated Period of Performance to 48 months: Table 1 on page 11, revised Topic Area 1 award duration to up to 48 months on page 12, and BP2 duration to 39 months in Table 3 on page 16. Change wording on page 12 to say between instead of at least; and
2. Replace “Project partners” with “subrecipients” and “subcontractors” with “vendors” on pages 42, 49,50, and 51.
Modification 0001
The purposes of this modification are to:
1. Add additional text to Table 3. TA1 (both TA1a and TA1b) Scope, deliverables, schedule on pages 15 and 16; and
2. Revise Topic Area 3 requirements in Section III.E. Limitation on Number of Concept Papers and Full Applications Eligible for Review on page 39.
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled “Advancing Wave Energy Technologies through Open Water Testing at PacWave.” This FOA will directly support open water Research and Development (R&D) at the PacWave test site[1] that is needed to advance wave energy converter (WEC) technologies towards commercial viability. This FOA will only fund projects that perform testing at the PacWave test site, projects that propose testing at the PacWave North test site will not be considered for funding. Accordingly, the remainder of this solicitation refers to “PacWave South” simply as “PacWave”.
WEC technologies are still in the early stages of development and the industry has had limited opportunities to deploy and test cost-competitive WEC technologies. Accordingly, WPTO supports a broad spectrum of foundational R&D activities aimed at advancing WEC technologies that can provide electricity to utility grids to help meet the Nation’s growing renewable energy needs, and can provide energy solutions that support the development of the blue economy[2]. In this context, over the last decade WPTO has supported a broad range of R&D including the development of numerical modeling tools, the design and optimization of WEC systems and components, the characterization of WECs and system components through tank and laboratory testing, the characterization and development of materials, the development of WEC control systems, along with limited open water systems testing activities.
Enabled in part by WPTO’s support, the WEC industry and R&D community have developed WEC technologies and system designs to the point where comprehensive open water testing is needed to advance technologies further towards commercialization. To meet the open water testing needs of the WEC community, WPTO recently made a significant investment in the PacWave wave energy test facility that is being constructed off the coast of Newport, Oregon. This pre-permitted, highly-energetic, and grid-connected deep water wave energy testing facility enables system and component testing across a range of scales. WPTO anticipates that PacWave will play a critical role in the development of the WEC industry and that early PacWave testing campaigns will significantly advance WEC technologies.
[1] PacWave is an open ocean wave energy testing facility consisting of two sites, each located just a few miles from the deep-water port of Newport, Oregon on the ever-energetic Pacific Ocean. See the PacWave website and the “PacWave Information and Support” section for additional details - http://pacwaveenergy.org/
[2] WPTO broadly categorizes the blue economy into two themes: (1) Providing power at sea to support offshore industries, science, and security activities and (2) Meeting the energy and water needs of coastal and rural island stakeholders in support of resilient coastal communities. More information about blue economy application of WEC technologies can be found in the Powering the Blue Economy™ report at , which investigates opportunities for marine energy to provide power for remote locations, microgrids, maritime industry activities, or ocean R&D expeditions.-economy-report, which investigates opportunities for marine energy to provide power for remote locations, microgrids, maritime industry activities, or ocean R&D expeditions.