REU Site: Marine Renewable Energy

Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton FL

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) will tackle science and engineering challenges associated with producing electrical power from marine renewable energy resources. It builds upon a previously funded REU Site and will immerse three cohorts of undergraduate scholars in exciting research experiences that tackle diverse and impactful projects. Most projects will focus on ocean current based electricity production, with others focusing on tidal power or marine microbial fuel cells. Ocean currents represent an untapped energy source with a technically feasible electrical power production potential of 19 GW in the U.S. and time averaged energy densities reaching 3.3 kW/m2, several times greater than the most energy dense U.S. wind resource. While some prototype and experimental ocean current turbine (OCT) testing has been performed, several technical hurtles related to 1) resource assessment, 2) system design and operation and 3) environmental impacts must be addressed before commercial utility-scale power can be captured for the U.S. electrical grid in a safe, economical and environmentally conscious manner. Student projects are designed to address these three barriers to help enable economically viable renewable power production, and undergraduate scholars will be guided through their projects by experienced mentors. Student research experiences will be enhanced through a comprehensive series of professional development activities. Recruitment and selection procedures will ensure this program engages a diverse demographic which includes women, under-represented minorities and veterans, to ensure future professionals in the marine renewable energy industry bring a wide spectrum of perspectives and solutions. FAU’s REU Site will work closely with its U.S. Department of Energy-designated Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center (SNMREC). Projects will engage students in science and engineering topics to achieve a balanced understanding of three key focus areas: resource assessment, system design and reliability, and environmental impacts. REU Scholars will be integrated into existing research groups, will be personally advised by FAU Faculty members and senior researchers, and will access state-of-the-art facilities and platforms for their projects. Ocean current resource assessment science will be advanced by 1) improving oceanic flow modeling techniques, 2) developing novel autonomous underwater vehicle measurement techniques, and 3) advancing open ocean turbulence measurement capabilities. Projects related to system design and operation will focus on increasing energy extraction and reducing equipment failures by 1) advancing ocean current turbine flight control theory, 2) developing and experimentally evaluating applied ocean current turbine flight controllers, 3) looking to biology for innovative tidal power production solutions, 4) evolving marine renewable energy turbine health monitoring solutions, 5) advancing shark skin inspired biofouling solutions, and 6) creating benthic microbial fuel cells for remote sensing applications. Projects designed to understand and minimize potential environmental impacts include: 1) advancing passive acoustic animal detection through the advancement of expandable hydrophone arrays, 2) assessing animal strike risks through sea turtle swimming/migration studies, and 3) quantifying the impact of ElectroMagnetic Fields (EMF) emitted by ocean current equipment on elasmobranchs. Each year ten of these twelve projects will be conducted by REU Scholars. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.