Ocean Wave Energy Advancement Through Research, Development and Testing

Abstract: The oceans contain an abundance of energy in the forms of wave, tidal, marine currents, thermal (temperature gradient) and salinity. Among these forms, significant opportunities and benefits have been identified in the area of ocean wave energy extraction, i.e., harnessing the motion of the ocean waves, and converting that motion into electrical energy. Ocean wave power offers several attractive qualities including high power density, low variability and excellent forecastability. This presentation discusses opportunities for ocean wave power to become a reliable and clean source of renewable energy and describes wave energy research and developments. Also presented will be activities of the Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC), which originated as the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC), established in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Energy to facilitate the development of marine renewable energy technologies. As of 2018, NNMREC has been rebranded as PMEC, where PMEC’s mission is to facilitate the commercialization of marine energy technology, inform regulatory and policy decisions, and close key gaps in scientific understanding with a focus on student growth and development.
Preesnter's Bio -Annette von Jouanne is an Energy Systems professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Baylor University. She was a professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University (OSU) for 22 years, since 1995, and joined Baylor in 2017. She received her Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University where she also worked with Toshiba International Industrial Division in Houston, TX. Professor von Jouanne specializes in energy systems, including power electronics and drives, and power systems. With a passion for renewables, she initiated the Wave Energy program at OSU in 1998, developing it into an internationally recognized multidisciplinary program. She also co-directed the Wallace Energy Systems & Renewables Facility (WESRF), one of the highest power university-based energy systems labs in the nation. Dr. von Jouanne has received national recognition for her research and teaching, and she is a registered professional engineer as well as a National Academy of Engineering “Celebrated Woman Engineer”.