The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) is launching the Innovating Distributed Embedded Energy Prize (InDEEP) to encourage innovation in distributed embedded energy converter technology (DEEC-Tec, pronounced “deck tech”) to generate new, precommercial materials for wave energy conversion. This prize will challenge innovators from within and beyond wave energy to design and develop novel materials for marine energy applications that will lay the foundation for generating electricity at the grid scale.
This three-phase, two-year competition is offering a combined cash prize pool up to $2.3 million. Teams will also receive technical support, teaming support, and other forms of mentorship throughout the prize to enable their success.
InDEEP seeks innovations that blend materials and renewable energy research to help convert wave energy to usable electricity. This prize is the first step in exploring DEEC-Tec’s potential for ocean wave energy conversion.
Competitors will use innovative methods to identify DEEC-Tec components and materials that have high techno-economic potential for wave energy converters. Successful concepts developed through this prize are those that show the greatest techno-economic potential to contribute to grid-scale power systems.
Prize Goals
Leverage WEC innovation methods to systematically develop DEEC-Tec concepts that could bring value to the ocean wave energy conversion industry.
Build a solver community by engaging and facilitating collaboration between innovators inside and outside the marine energy industry and related DEEC-Tec disciplines.
Encourage development of novel DEEC-Tec concepts with high potential relevant to ocean wave energy conversion by supporting an interdisciplinary set of competitors as they move from ideation to design.
Refine wave energy converter innovation methods to incorporate ideas from beyond the field of wave energy based on feedback from the prize.
Prize Structure
Phase I: Team Building/Engagement and Concept Creation
Phase I engages interdisciplinary teams to develop novel DEEC-Tec concepts and methodologies. This phase familiarizes participants with DEEC-Tec, ocean wave energy, and how to integrate these two applications to find new potential solutions. Teams create an initial concept, submit a brief technical narrative representing their idea and the innovation process that led them to the proposed solution, and complete a simplified Phase I version of a Technology Performance Level assessment to represent the techno-economic performance level of the concept. Up to 20 teams can each win up to $15,000 in cash awards.
Phase II: Simple Prototype Proof-of-Concept
Phase II provides a pathway for competitors to build and test their concepts at the individual DEEC level by demonstrating the DEEC's energy transducer and structural mechanisms. Teams build and test in a laboratory, or other physical setting, a single DEEC at the bench-top scale. The test assesses the dynamic operational ranges of the designs and their general performance. This phase is the final opportunity for new teams to enter and add new members. Up to 15 teams can each win up to $80,000 in cash awards.
Phase III focuses on developing pre-commercial prototypes and materials. This phase challenges successful teams from Phase II to demonstrate their individual DEECs as DEEC-Tec metamaterials. This stage requires teams to interconnect and integrate their individual DEEC prototypes from the first stage, and to ultimately demonstrate the resulting functionality of their metamaterial. Participants will also apply the full Technology Performance Level assessment to their DEEC-Tec metamaterial design(s) to determine how much energy could be converted and, correspondingly, the techno-economic potential of their design(s). Up to four teams can each win up to $200,000 in cash awards.
Guidelines
Who can participate?
This prize aims to engage distributed embedded energy conversion experts from a wide variety of fields and disciplines, like piezoelectrics, polymers, and actuators. Innovators within and beyond the wave energy industry are encouraged to create and join multidisciplinary teams in designing and completing proof-of-concept testing of DEEC-Tec concept(s) that are applicable to ocean wave energy conversion.
To ensure success regardless of knowledge or background in marine energy, competitors will receive multiple types of support throughout the prize, including training in innovation methods, connections with commercialization mentors, and an introduction to marine renewable energy.
Please see the official prize rules for participant eligibility and resource materials.
Leaderboard
The leaderboard is a representation of engagement throughout Phase II. The final scores represented on the public-facing leaderboard will contribute directly to the final numerical score a competitor receives on their submission. Individual scoring components are included in the official prize rules, and teams can receive up to 5 points per scoring criteria, for a maximum of 15 additional points, that will be calculated and weighted into final scores for their appropriate category.
Specific engagement activities will be offered and updates will be shared on the leaderboard as teams complete these activities. Teams will not earn points for leaderboard activities prior to completing the initial eligibility confirmation on HeroX. It is the responsibility of the team to notify the prize administrator to transition points to another team, should teams pursue partnerships and a change in the team captain whose name is associated with these engagement changes.
The Phase III competitors have been hard at work developing their DEEC-Tec concepts in advance of the final event in March. Today, we’re spotlighting finalist EBB:FLOW.
The EBB:FLOW team from Braintree, Massachusetts brings together experience in marine renewables, smart materials, and U.S. regulatory and market landscapes to advance a novel direct generation wave energy technology.
The team’s technology is a Dielectric Fluid Generator comprising of a set of pouches that act as variable capacitors when an external load is applied. As the fluid-filled pouches are compressed and expanded by the action of ocean waves, their cyclical charging and discharging generates electricity.
EBB:FLOW will present on their technology at the InDEEP Final Forum in March in pursuit of winning the grand prize.
During Phase III, the InDEEP finalists have been hard at work developing their DEEC-Tec concepts in advance of the final event in March. Today, we’re spotlighting finalist PECWEC from Storrs, Connecticut.
This team from the University of Connecticut is advancing wave energy harvesting through the Piezoelectrochemical Wave Energy Converter (PECWEC). This solution is designed to transform the mechanical energy of ocean waves into electrochemical energy.
The PECWEC project aims to address the limitations of traditional mechanical energy harvesters in capturing energy from low-frequency ocean waves. PEC materials, which convert energy through volume changes induced by electrochemical reactions, are better fit for low-frequency applications. This technology has enabled the team to develop an efficient energy harvesting technique that is suitable for the dynamic and environment of ocean waves.
Team PECWEC will join the other finalists at the InDEEP Final Forum in March for the culmination of the InDEEP Prize.
During Phase III, the InDEEP finalists have been hard at work developing their DEEC-Tec concepts in advance of the final event in March. Today, we’re spotlighting the Piezogami Team.
Hailing from Blacksburg, Virginia, the Piezogami Team is developing a wave-powered electric barrier using inspiration from the ancient art of Kirigami paper cutting. This wave-powered, autonomous fence aims to deter invasive marine species, particularly the sea lamprey, to protect the country’s Great Lakes and oceans.
The members of the Piezogami Team combined their expertise in soft piezo-electric materials, kirigami structures, and marine energy harvesting to create a hierarchical meta-structure that maximizes wave energy harvesting at different levels. Not only does the integrated system harvest and store energy from waves, but the piezoelectric kirigami sheets can also act as a sensor to detect contact from invasive fish and release electricity to deter these harmful species.
The Piezogami Team will present on their technology at the InDEEP Final Forum in March in pursuit of being named a grand prize winner.
During Phase III, the InDEEP finalists have been hard at work developing their DEEC-Tec concepts in advance of the final event in March. Today, we’re spotlighting finalist WaveHarvest.
WaveHarvest’s concept involves a unique configuration of three different DEEC types to harness energy from ocean waves and convert it into useful electricity. Their novel energy harvesting device combines piezoelectric, electromagnetic, and dielectric elastomer transducers into a distributed and multimodal system.
Significantly, the integration of these transduction mechanisms extends beyond simple combination and instead leads to increased energy density for the device, as the presence of one system enhances the efficiency of the other.
WaveHarvest will join the rest of the prize finalists at the InDEEP Final Forum in March to present their technology and compete for the grand prize.
b. Innovations in data collection, analytics, models and tools
c. Pumped Storage Hydropower Innovative Concepts
Marine Energy
d. Co-Development of Marine Energy Technologies
e. Development of Standardized Modular Power Electronics for Grid-Compatible Marine Energy Systems
f. Advances in Overtopping Wave Energy Converters for Coastal Structures
g. Next-Generation Tidal and River Current Energy Technologies for Arctic/Alaskan Communities
h. Feasibility of Co-locating Marine Energy and Offshore Wind
Interested applicants are encouraged to review the topics document to identify technology areas of interest and begin formulating innovative responses and partnerships. The funding opportunity is expected to be released on Dec. 16, 2024, and letters of intent are due by 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 7, 2025.
WPTO will also be hosting an informational webinar on Dec. 4 to discuss the topics and answer questions from interested applicants. Learn more andregister for the webinar.
As you pursue this and other opportunities, remember that the American-Made Network is a great resource for finding commercialization-assistance providers and vendors with specific expertise across technology sectors. The Network helps accelerate innovations through a robust group of entities that includes national laboratories, energy incubators, investors, and other industry partners from across the United States who engage, connect, mentor, and amplify the efforts of small businesses.
