ChatGPT generated image of a CorPower array contrasted with a much more bankable, lower maintenance offshore wind turbine
After publishing on a wave energy proposal for offshore data centers, I received a useful challenge. A reader pointed to CorPower Ocean as a counterexample. That was worth taking seriously. CorPower is not a render-first startup selling a fantasy of floating artificial intelligence infrastructure in the deep Pacific. It has … [continued]
ChatGPT generated image of offshore wave generation unit AI inference engine communicating with low-earth orbit satellites
I have been seeing LinkedIn posts about Panthalassa’s wave-powered AI data-center concept recently, and the reaction they’ve been getting is familiar. Big funding round. AI power bottleneck. Ocean energy. No grid connection. No land constraint. Autonomous machines. A new category. It had all the ingredients of a story built to … [continued]
National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) and Sandia National Laboratories researchers gather at NLR's Flatirons Campus to test and refine open-source modeling tools, such as WEC-Sim, to simulate wave energy converters with greater accuracy and flexibility so developers can predict performance and reduce risk before deploying devices in the ocean. Photo by Taylor Mankle, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
Modeling Advancements Could Help Developers Build More Robust, Seaworthy Devices Wave energy technologies can provide reliable, local power for autonomous underwater vehicles, and at-sea applications across U.S. coastal regions, especially where traditional energy supply is limited or costly. Although some wave energy devices have demonstrated promising performance, most are still … [continued]
The researchers behind MHKiT—as well as marine energy experts at NLR, like those pictured here—depend on MHKiT to guide their own research, a testament to its broad benefits for industry members and researchers alike. Photo by Gregory Cooper, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
Updated Tool Could Help Marine Energy Developers Save Time, Money, and Effort A team of national laboratory researchers recently released version 1.0 of the Marine Hydrokinetic Toolkit (MHKiT)—a free, publicly available software tool used to process, analyze, visualize, and standardize marine energy data. Marine energy—energy generated from ocean and river waves, currents, … [continued]
Developers typically use several computer models to assess new technology designs. Now, NREL researchers are building an all-in-one tool that makes it faster and easier to evaluate their designs in one platform. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL.
How a Forthcoming Modeling Tool Could Help Developers Rapidly Assess the Potential of Any Floating Device Can your technology triumph in the ocean? Ask SEA-Stack. True to its name, this one-of-a-kind, free, open-source tool combines (or stacks) multiple wave energy modeling capabilities into one user-friendly package. With SEA-Stack, wave energy … [continued]
Latest HERO WEC Mission Status Update Examines How NREL’s Wave Tank Validates Computer-Generated Scenarios for Wave Energy Converters. NREL’s hydraulic and electric reverse osmosis wave energy converter (HERO WEC) surfed the laboratory’s wave tank, facing another round of trials and tribulations to advance wave energy research. Since 2024 the team … [continued]
A newly announced collaboration between the US and Norway reveals that marine energy somehow made list of US President Trump's preferred energy resources under the "American Energy Dominance" plan (courtesy of NREL).
A newly announced collaboration between the US and Norway reveals that marine energy somehow made the list of US President Trump’s preferred energy resources under the “American Energy Dominance” plan.
NREL's hydraulic and electric reverse osmosis (HERO) wave energy converter (WEC) is seen anchored off Jennette's Pier in Nags Head, North Carolina. This is NREL’s first marine-powered desalination device to weather ocean waters. Photo by John McCord / Coastal Studies Institute.
The life of a wave energy converter (WEC) may sound idyllic—bobbing on ocean waves all day or swaying underwater, quietly generating electricity for the people living and working near shore. But in reality, it takes a lot of careful planning for salt water and electronics to achieve that perceived state … [continued]
Latest HERO WEC Mission Status Update Examines How a Polyurethane Belt Could Improve Reliability of Wave Energy Converters The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) wave-powered desalination research is charting new waters by improving the robustness, reliability, and deployability of the hydraulic and electric reverse osmosis wave energy converter—or HERO WEC. To do this, … [continued]
The Norwegian wave energy startup Ocean Oasis has developed an emission free, wave-powered offshore desalination system to help relieve water scarcity among island and coastal communities.
