Yesterday the U.S. Department of Energy announced the creation of the Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. DOE's press release notes that the center will be "ideally located to oversee development of equipment that can generate sustainable, cost-competitive electricity from ocean energy resources in the Florida Straits and the Gulf Stream."

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) received 120 responses from 112 different respondents to the Request for Information (RFI) it released June 14, 2010 regarding Offshore Wind Demonstration Projects.  The RFI was a broad solicitation for public input regarding the research, development and deployment of advanced technology offshore wind demonstration projects. The responses, which were due July 14, 2010, have not been released by DOE. DOE Project Officer Michael Hahn explained the responses will be used to "guide program decision-making." For more information, see today's BNA Daily Report for Executives (subscription required).

The University of Houston has been selected to receive a $2.3 million grant from DOE to establish an offshore wind testing facility. Research efforts will focus on improving the materials used to make wind turbine blades.

The Department of Interior and the Department of Energy announced today a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which seeks to prioritize and facilitate environmentally responsible deployment of commercial-scale offshore wind and marine hydrokinetic energy technologies on the Outer Continental Shelf.  Under the MOU, the two agencies will facilitate such development by pursuing priority leasing and efficient regulatory processes for sites with high commercial-scale offshore wind and water power development potential, as well as exchange information and collaborate on research projects.  "We have a major opportunity to tap the energy in waves and offshore wind," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu.  "Increasing cooperation between our agencies will help make clean, renewable energy a reality."

The U.S Department of Energy (DOE) on Tuesday released a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input from the public regarding the research, development and deployment of advanced technology offshore wind demonstration projects.  DOE anticipates that such demonstration projects will be carried out via collaborative partnerships with a wide range of eligible organizations.  Information responsive to this RFI is due by July 14, 2010.

DOE announced it will host a webinar on Monday, May 17 from 3-5 p.m. EST on a recently announced $38.6 million funding opportunity for the advancement of marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies.  For more information, click here.

On April 19, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced S.3226, a bill co-sponsored by Sens. Carper (D-DE), Collins (R-ME), Snowe (R-ME), and Kaufman (D-DE).  The bill is aimed at stimulating a domestic offshore wind power industry and would require the Department of Energy to develop a roadmap to assist and coordinate offshore wind power implementation efforts.  In addition, the bill calls for the appropriation of $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015 to establish an Offshore Wind Power Research and Development Program that would assist in the implementation of the roadmap.

This week DOE released its Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program 2010 Annual Plan.  In its ultra-deepwater component, the plan focuses on developing E&P technologies for use in water 15,000 feet deep or more through the DeepStar Consortium.

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced yesterday that it intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to facilitate the development of marine and hydrokinetic technology.  The "Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Readiness Advancement Initiative" will competitively award funds to develop technologies that generate renewable electricity from waves, currents, tides, rivers, and the ocean's thermal energy.  DOE anticipates the FOA will be posted no later than March 31, 2010.

The Department of Energy (DOE) published notice yesterday that Reedsport OPT Wave Park, LLC has filed a hydroelectric application for the Reesdsport OPT Wave Park Project.  The application proposes construction of ten wave-powered generating units to be anchored about 2.5 miles off the coast of Douglas County, Oregon, spanning about a quarter of a square mile.  The buoys will be linked to a single Underwater Substation Pod, which will be connected to the Douglas Electric Cooperative transmission line.  The application is available for public comment, and DOE is preparing to commence the next steps of review.

The Department of Energy recently released its Report to Congress on Potential Environmental Effects of Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Technologies.  The Energy Independences and Security Act of 2007 required DOE to prepare the Report in consultation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The Report focuses on the potential effects of marine and hydrokinetic technologies on various aspects of the nation's aquatic environments and finds no conclusive evidence that marine and hydrokinetic technologies will cause significant environmental effects and highlights areas where further information and research is needed.

A DOE source told Energy Washington (subscription required) that the agency plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the MMS in the next two months to begin developing a streamlined permitting process for hydrokinetic power projects, including those on the OCS.  DOE reports that the MOU will broadly cover offshore renewable energy and outline a framework for collaborating on environmental assessments and streamlining the permitting process.  In addition, DOE plans to organize a series of meetings with the FERC, NOAA, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies.  Reports of the DOE/MMS MOU follow on the heels of the House Committee on Science and Technology hearing on hydrokinetic energy earlier this month.

On December 8, 2009, a Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee considered H.R. 3165, a bill that would provide $200 million over five years to the Department of Energy's wind energy research program.  The proposed goals of the research program are to improve the energy efficiency, reliability, and capacity of wind turbines; optimize the design and adaptability of wind energy systems; and reduce the cost of construction, generation, and maintenance of wind energy systems.  One of the stated focuses of the program is the development of wind technology for offshore applications.

On December 1, 2009, Massachusetts and U.S. officials celebrated the groundbreaking of the nation's first facility capable of testing wind turbine blades up to 90 meters long.  It is anticipated that research into longer blades will stimulate the creation of large-scale offshore wind power facilities in the United States.  Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) noted that the "test center is critical if we are to effectively compete with European companies that are developing advanced offshore wind energy technology in deeper water, away from shipping lanes and fishing grounds, using larger turbines and blades." 
 
The test center will be operated jointly by the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.  The $40 million facility is supported by $25 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

E&E Greenwire [subscription required] reports that the University of Maine will use $8 million in grant money from the U.S. Department of Energy to test three stability systems for deepwater offshore wind turbines.  The concepts  to be tested will include Statoil's Hywind design, a prototype of which has already been installed offshore Norway.  The test turbines will be installed at a site in the Gulf of Maine by 2011.

Yesterday, DOE Secretary Chu announced the agency will award up to $14.6 million to facilitate the develeopment of advanced water power technologies.  Twenty-two projects were selected to share in the award.  The winning projects include new hydropower tranmission,  new marine and hydrokinetic energy conversion devices at open water project sites, and studies of life-cycle costs for wave, current, and ocean thermal energy conversion technologies.

The DOE announced last week the selection of six projects for federal funding, each related to research regarding water power technologies, including both offshore marine and hydrokinetic energy.  The recipients for marine and hydrokinetic energy project funding are the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden, CO), the Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Sequim, WA), each of which will be partnering with universities, other laboratories, and in some cases private industry.

Today DOE unveiled a new online database of hydrodynamic test facilities in the US to allow researchers to more easily locate test-phase hydrodynamic and hydrokinetic energy projects.  You can access the database here.

The DOE announced that $13.8 million -- $12.8 million of which is from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ("stimulus") appropriations -- has been awarded to 28 wind projects.  These wind projects are focused on wind turbine research and transmission analysis. DOE also released its 2008 Wind Technologies Market Report, which found that the U.S leads the world in annual capacity growth and that soaring demand for wind power has spurred increased wind turbine manufacturing activity. Said Secretary Chu: "To help meet these [current economic] challenges, the Recovery Act invests significant dollars to put people to work to spur a revolution in clean energy technologies ... Wind energy will be a critical factor in achieving the President's goals for clean energy, while supporting new jobs."

Maine Governor John Baldacci (D), U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R) and Susan Collins (R), and U.S. Reps. Mike Michaud (D) and Chellie Pingree (D) met with U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu last week to seek funding for a National Deepwater Offshore Wind Research Center to be operated by the University of Maine. According to a media release, the Maine officials asked for $20 million of stimulus package funding for the first year of this project and sought support from Sec. Chu for the program over the next four years.

The South Carolina Energy Office received $109,000 from the federal government to educate the public on wind energy potential and advocate for its development off the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. In May, the DOE selected 53 new wind energy projects for federal funding, including this outreach effort, which will be led by the South Carolina Energy Office in collaboration with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, and various utilities.

Energy Secretary Chu is scheduled to discuss the possibility of establishing a National Offshore Wind Research Center at the University of Maine. The conference will take place this Friday, June 5, in Washington D.C., where Secretary Chu will meet with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Representative Mike Michaud (D-ME), Governor John Baldacci (D), and Professor Habib Dagner to talk about the proposal.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chu yesterday announced that Massachusetts will receive $25 million from the federal stimulus package to build the first commercial facility in the United States capable of testing large wind turbine blades.  DOE's press release notes that the ability to produce turbine blades longer than 50 meters domestically will energize large-scale wind power project development, highlighting that one of the important benefits of the site is its "proximity to substantial offshore wind resources."

Today, Santee Cooper, the Coastal Carolina University, and the South Carolina Energy Office announced the deployment of six buoys in state waters as well as the OCS that will be utilized to gauge the potential for offshore wind energy projects.  The buoys, which will measure wind characteristics, will extend six miles from the coastline and may be in place by mid-March.  Santee Cooper, South Carolina's state-owned power company, also plans to install an offshore platform about six months after the buoys are placed.  Once erected, the platform will collect seasonal data for at least a full year, which will be used to show the possible contribution of wind energy to South Carolina's energy needs.  The effort, named the Palmetto Wind Research Project, places South Carolina in position to be a leader in developing offshore wind energy in the United States and could make it the first in the nation to build an offshore wind farm.  The buoy project is being funded by Santee Cooper and a U.S. Department of Energy grant administered by the South Carolina Energy Office.
 
From a regulatory standpoint, those pursuing the Palmetto Wind Research Project will have to grapple with the lack of a federal regulatory framework.  The Bush Administration was due to release a framework for  the Minerals Management Service's Alternative Energy and Alternate Use Program, but left the ultimate regulatory drafting to the Obama Administration.  In addition to any federal regulations, the project will have to be approved to ensure that it does not interfere with shipping lanes, rescue routes for the Coast Guard, habitats and migratory paths for protected bird species, Federal Aviation Administration track equipment, and commercial fishing areas.  The Sun News and Carolina Live provide additional information. 

The Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy has announced the availability of the 2009 Annual Plan for the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program. Among other things, the Annual Plan supports oil and gas research and development in the ultra-deepwater areas of the Outer Continental Shelf. After DOE transmits the Annual Plan to Congress, Requests for Proposals will be developed and released for project awards. 

The Department of Energy's Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program released a fully searchable database of information on marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy including wave, current, and ocean thermal energy conversion technologies. The database currently covers around 28 countries, providing information on technology types and specific projects, as well as a glossary of standard definitions. The Progress Alert can be found on DOE's website.