Engineering, SocioEconomic and Environmental Convergence of Ocean Wave Energy Research for Remote Coastal Communities

Background:

• Remote coastal and island communities (e.g., Alaska, Pacific islands, Outer Banks of North Carolina, Florida Keys, Great Lakes) face high electricity costs and vulnerabilities due to reliance on imported fossil fuels and fragile transmission infrastructure.

• Ocean wave energy offers a significant renewable resource along extensive U.S. coastlines, with power densities much greater than solar or wind energy.

• Previous efforts to commercialize wave energy converters (WECs) have struggled with technological, economic, and social barriers.

Innovation:

• Integrates engineering, socio-economic, and environmental considerations in ocean wave energy development.

• Employs an innovative, transdisciplinary co-design methodology inspired by market-pull strategies, similar to drug discovery processes.

• Prioritizes early community engagement to ensure stakeholder relevance.

• Uses comprehensive 3D assessment metrics to evaluate technological feasibility, economic viability, and socio-environmental acceptability of WEC concepts.

Approach:

• Phase I:

  • Develop a convergence roadmap to screen and select 2-3 leading WEC concepts.

  • Employ community-driven decision-making frameworks and multidimensional techno-economic socio-environmental criteria.

• Phase II:

  • Optimize and refine selected WEC designs through transdisciplinary collaboration.

  • Validate designs through community engagement and ocean testing.