The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office has granted $1.6 million to a project led by mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE) researchers, including Dr. Matthew Bryant from North Carolina State University as the lead principal investigator. The initiative aims to accelerate the development and testing of marine energy technologies.

Titled "Co-Design of the Pumping System and Controller for a Mobile, Anchorless, Wave-Powered Desalination Platform," the collaborative effort involves researchers from the University of Michigan, the University of Maryland and Liquid Robotics.

Liquid Robotics’ “Wave Glider” – an autonomous, uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) powered by wave and solar energy to deliver real-time ocean monitoring data. Source: Liquid Robotics

The project focuses on transforming Liquid Robotics' autonomous Wave Glider into a mobile, anchor-less desalination platform. The objective is to develop an integrated system comprising a piston pump, reverse osmosis (RO) unit, tank, and a mission planning and control system. This innovation will enable the Wave Glider to function as a mobile, anchorless desalination platform, capable of rapid deployment from a near-shore location, desalinating up to 1,000 gallons of water, returning for offloading and immediate redeployment.

In the announcement is intended to advance the potential of marine energy technologies to generate both clean electricity and clean water. These initiatives mark DOE's inaugural substantial investment in marine energy dedicated to serving the blue economy market. They are poised to advance technologies capable of meeting the growing demand for sustainable solutions, aligning with the country’s ambitious objective of achieving a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050.