Marine energy—power generated from ocean waves, currents, tides, and temperature changes—is the world's largest untapped renewable energy resource. However, further work is needed to optimize marine energy device designs and reduce costs.
To help advance the marine energy industry and prepare the future marine energy workforce, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) created the Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC) in 2019. Part of DOE's Powering the Blue Economy initiative, the MECC invites interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students to:
- Identify the most promising near-term markets for marine energy
- Design an appropriate marine energy device to serve market applications that could have commercial value within the next five years.
Deadline: April 24, 2023
Eligibility Requirements
Teams must meet the following criteria to be eligible:
- Teams may consist of a combination of post-secondary, undergraduate, and graduate students, but must be at least 50% post-secondary and/or undergraduates.
- Both U.S. and non-U.S. institutions are welcome to apply and participate.
- Non-U.S. institutions are not eligible to receive cash prize funding.
- In a team with students from U.S. and non-U.S. institutions, the lead institution must be a U.S. academic institution accredited by the U.S. Department of Education [BA1] to be eligible for cash prize funding.
- Teams should strive to include a diverse range of academic disciplines, including but not limited to:
- Engineering
- Business
- Marketing
- Communications
- Environmental and Public Policy
- Social Sciences
- Teams should also strive to include in their teams individuals from groups historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.