The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced up to $38 million (£30m) in funding for a new programme, which seeks to design economically attractive hydrokinetic turbines (HKT) for tidal and riverine currents.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) programme, called Submarine Hydrokinetic And Riverine Kilo-megawatt Systems will provide HKT, which will be suited for micro-grid applications, supplying energy to remote communities, other blue economy and utility-scale applications.
Mark W. Menezes, Under Secretary of Energy, said: America’s tidal and riverine currents remain a valuable resource for the generation of clean and reliable electricity.
Developing efficient, economically attractive hydrokinetic turbine technologies will enable the United States to utilise those resources and continue to diversify our energy generation infrastructure and increase grid resiliency.
Lane Genatowski, ARPA-E Director, said: We view this programme as a great opportunity to further diversify America’s energy needs, and provide new and efficient energy generation sources for the nation’s grid.