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Innovating Distributed Embedded Energy Prize

Let’s forge a wave-powered future together! New wave energy technologies have the potential to power much of the nation’s grid.

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Energy, Environment & Resources Technology
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InDEEP TPL 3.0 Webinar

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Energy, Environment & Resources Technology
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Overview

 

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.

Wave energy is the most abundant and geographically diverse marine energy resource in the United States. The total available wave energy resource in the United States is equivalent to approximately 34% of all U.S. power generation in 2019.

To help build energy resilience in coastal cities and support President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, 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 Phases 

 

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 diverse 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.

 

 

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. 

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Timeline
Updates24

Challenge Updates

InDEEP Innovation Spotlight! WaveHarvest

Nov. 26, 2024, 1:38 p.m. PST by NREL Challenges

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. 

Small Business Funding Opportunities in Water Power Topics

Nov. 21, 2024, 1:59 p.m. PST by NREL Prize Moderator 2

The latest round of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs features multiple opportunities for water power innovators. DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) is seeking SBIR and STTR applications related to both hydropower and marine energy technologies in eight subtopics (see page 129 of the SBIR/STTR topics document for more details): 

 

Hydropower  

a. Municipal and Industrial Conduit Hydropower  

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 and register 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 diverse 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. 

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InDEEP Innovation Spotlight! Artimus Robotics

Nov. 14, 2024, 8:06 a.m. PST by NREL Challenges

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 Artimus Robotics. 

InDEEP finalist Artimus Robotics is enabling new capabilities in bio-inspired robotics and distributed energy harvesting systems to pioneer the untapped potential of the deep sea.  

Their team has developed a new type of soft transducer, called a hydraulically amplified soft electrostatic (HASEL) transducer, that acts as an actuator, sensor, and generator all in one device. The dual-use HASEL-based metamaterials help advance the blue economy by unlocking sustainable ocean wave energy and powering unmanned underwater vehicles.  

Artimus Robotics will join the other InDEEP finalists at the final event in March to present their technology and compete for the grand prize! 

Attend the Kickoff Webinar for InDEEP Phase III!

Aug. 6, 2024, 9:08 a.m. PDT by Sam

Congratulations again to the 15 teams named winners of Phase II! Check out the announcement from DOE to learn more about the winning teams.  

 

We’d also like to thank all the competitors who participated in Phase II. We hope we’ll see you compete in future prizes from the American-Made program! Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on future opportunities. 

 

For the teams advancing to Phase III, we are hosting a one-hour kickoff webinar on August 15. During the call, prize administrators will share details about the final phase of the prize, how to submit a successful submission package, and additional technical assistance opportunities that will be available to competitors. Register for the kickoff webinar. 

Congratulations to the InDEEP Phase II Winners!

July 29, 2024, 1:59 p.m. PDT by NREL Prize Moderator (Amanda)

The winners of Phase II are:

  • Artimus Robotics from Boulder, Colorado
  • Condensed Wave Matter from Madison, Wisconsin
  • EBB:Flow from Braintree, Massachusetts
  • Elysium Robotics from Austin, Texas
  • FluxMEMS from Portland, Oregon
  • Kiri DEEC from Houghton, Michigan
  • PECWEC from Storrs, Connecticut
  • The Piezogami Team from Blacksburg, Virginia
  • Pittsburgh Coastal Energy from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • PSU_EnergyHarvesting from State College, Pennsylvania
  • Soft Energy from Ithaca, New York
  • Streaming Energy from La Jolla, California
  • WaterBros Development from Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Wave Grid from Galveston, Texas
  • WaveHarvest from Dallas, Texas

Congratulations to the teams! You can read the full winner's announcement here. We appreciate the engagement and effort of all the teams who competed in Phase II. We hope you will continue to advance your technologies and stay engaged with this InDEEP community.

Forum43
Teams359
Entries
Leaderboard
Resources
FAQ
Webinars & Recordings
Training Materials
InDEEP Final Forum