The U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) today released a $45 million funding opportunity to advance a comprehensive approach to tidal and current energy development in the United States. Part of President Biden’s Invest in America Agenda and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this opportunity will make the first large-scale investment in a tidal and/or current energy research, development, and demonstration site in the United States. It will also support a community-led tidal and/or current energy planning and development project.

Marine energy technologies, including tidal and current technologies, transform the energy in the natural flow of oceans and rivers into clean electricity. Tidal energy systems harness power from tides, the movement of water created by the moon’s gravitational force, while current energy systems capture power from the directional flow of water. Tides and currents are incredibly predictable, meaning these resources could help balance other sources of renewable energy.

While marine energy technologies are at an early stage of development, total available U.S. marine energy resources are equivalent to nearly 60% of all U.S. power generation in 2019. Even if only a small portion of this technical resource potential is captured, marine energy technologies would make significant contributions to a 100% clean energy grid and help reach President Biden’s goal of achieving a net-zero economy by 2050.

This funding opportunity represents DOE’s largest ever investment in marine energy and WPTO’s largest funding opportunity to date. It will encourage U.S. leadership in tidal and current energy development, while also meeting community energy priorities and developing the sector’s supply chain and workforce.

This funding opportunity—Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Section 41006(a)(2): U.S. Tidal Energy Advancement—will support projects in two topic areas focused on advancing the tidal and current energy industry toward commercialization for utility- and community-scale applications:

• Topic area 2, Community-led Tidal and/or Current Energy Planning and Project Execution, will provide up to $10 million to support a community-led tidal and/or current energy planning and development project.

Applicants must submit a concept paper to be eligible to submit a full application.