Objectives: Oregon State University (OSU) and University of Washington (UW) are partnering to develop the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC) with a full range of capabilities to support wave and tidal energy development for the United States. Center activities are structured to: facilitate device commercialization, inform regulatory and policy decisions, and close key gaps in understanding. The following topic areas will be addressed:

• Development of facilities to serve as an integrated, standardized test Center for U.S. and international developers of wave and tidal energy;

• Evaluation of potential environmental and ecosystem impacts, focusing on the compatibility of marine energy technologies in areas with sensitive environments and existing users;

• Device and array optimization for effective deployment of wave and tidal energy technologies.

• Improved forecasting of the wave energy resource;

• Increased reliability and survivability of marine energy systems.

Description, Methods and Impacts: The NNMREC objectives will be met through testing, experiments, modeling, and outreach at university facilities and in the field. NNMREC will leverage the considerable marine energy expertise, facilities, and programs at both OSU and the UW.

• Wave efforts will include the development of "mobile" test berths for full-scale wave device testing. Testing and evaluation will identify best practices for maintenance and quality control of wave energy systems and refine wave energy power measurements.

• Tidal efforts will also focus on the development of a "mobile" instrumentation packages for device and environmental monitoring. The packages will leverage the expertise of industry partners to address the needs of all stakeholders in a cost-effective manner.

• Wave and tidal efforts will evaluate environmental and ecosystem impacts through numerical models of devices operating in coastal and estuarine environments, validated by observational data from pilot testing. The focus will be on the effects of large-scale deployment of this technology. Results will be shared with local, state, and federal agencies to inform policy decisions and presented to the general public through educational workshops.

• Wave and tidal device and array optimization will utilize detailed numerical models calibrated against observational data from pilot tests. Models will initially focus on individual devices and then scale up to arrays of devices for investigation of both near- and far-field dynamics.

• Wave energy forecasting will be improved for offshore locations and extended to the near shore environment where wave energy devices will be deployed.

• Wave and tidal reliability and survivability will be investigated and enhanced by the application of corrosion and bio-fouling resistant materials, including new structural composites.

Partners:  UW, National Renewable Lab, PEV, FINE

Funding: USDOE, Oregon Innovation Council, OWET, Snohomish PUD, EPRI, BioSonics, Pacific Northwest Economic Region