Marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) energy technologies convert the energy of waves, tides, and river and ocean currents into electricity. The Department of Energy's "Marine and Hydrokinetic 101" video explains how these technologies work and highlights some of the Water Power Program's efforts in R&D in this area.
Learn where marine and hydrokinetic technology research and testing is being done across the country and about key terms for MHK technology by visiting the following resources:
Marine and Hydrokinetic Glossary
A glossary of key terms about marine and hydrokinetic technologies.
OPENEI WATER POWER GATEWAY
The Open Energy Information website allows readers to read and contribute to its collection, including critical public datasets and reports, maps and visualization tools, links to organizations working to advance the water power industries, and more.
In OpenEI, the Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Database provides information on marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy projects, both in the United States and around the world.The Hydrodynamic Testing Facilities Database provides data on a range of test capabilities and services available at commercial, academic, and government facilities and offshore berths within the United States.
OpenEI also hosts information on MHK LCOE Reporting Guidance. To normalize competing claims of LCOE, DOE has developed—for its own use—a standardized cost and performance data reporting process to facilitate uniform calculation of LCOE from MHK device developers. This standardization framework is only the first version in what is anticipated to be an iterative process that involves industry and the broader DOE stakeholder community.
Tethys Environmental Impacts Knowledge Management System
The U.S. Department of Energy partnered with the International Energy Agency's Ocean Energy Systems initiative to create Tethys, a database and knowledge management system that provides access to information and research about the potential environmental effects of offshore wind and marine and hydrokinetic development.
Tethys also hosts data from Annex IV, an international collaboration to gather information on MHK environmental research worldwide.
Marine and Hydrokinetic Databases and Systems
The Marine and Hydrokinetic Databases and Systems fact sheet summarizes DOE-supported online information resources, including OpenEI, the MHK Data Repository, the MHK Atlas, and Tethys. These information resources are designed to provide the public access to information pertaining to MHK technologies, projects, and research.