U.S. Department of Energy Announces Winners of the 2023 Hydropower and Marine Energy Collegiate Competitions

MAY 10, 2023

 

DOE Also Announces 30 Teams Selected for the 2024 Competitions

 

MECC Hydropower 2023 Contest Group Shot

2023 Hydropower and Marine Energy Collegiate Competition Competitors (Image Credit: Department of Energy)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the winners of the 2023 Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC) and Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC). Endicott College and University of New Hampshire were the overall winners of the inaugural HCC and the fourth annual MECC, respectively. DOE also announced the teams selected to participate in the 2024 HCC and MECC.

“I congratulate the winners of the 2023 Hydropower and Marine Energy Collegiate Competitions for demonstrating new possibilities for how we can use hydropower and marine energy to help meet our climate and clean energy goals,” said Alejandro Moreno, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “I am excited to see these talented students utilize the real-world experiences and connections they gained through these competitions and hope to see them continue to support our clean energy transition.”

Hydropower and marine energy resources are key to meeting the Biden administration’s goals of a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035 and a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050. These types of power depend on the movement and flow of water and are, therefore, predictable and consistently available. This makes them reliable and well-suited to help balance an electricity grid with higher levels of variable renewable energy like wind and solar.

To help reach those goals, the hydropower and marine energy industries will need a new generation of qualified workers to fill many different roles, including engineers, financial analysts, project managers, and communications and marketing specialists. The HCC and MECC help undergraduate and graduate students prepare for jobs in hydropower, marine energy, and related industries by challenging them to develop unique solutions to advance these technologies.

Both the 2023 HCC and MECC culminated in a final event during Waterpower Week 2023 in Washington, D.C. The hydropower teams pitched their case studies and the marine energy teams pitched their business plans and detailed technology designs to panels of judges. All teams also presented their approaches to creating connections among the industry and their local communities.

2023 Hydropower Collegiate Competition Winners

The 10 student-led teams analyzed a case study on how hydropower fits into a future power grid supported by 100% renewable energy and the associated opportunities and challenges of incorporating the hydropower fleet into this clean energy vision. They also provided solutions that can help hydropower fully support a clean energy grid.

The winners of the 2023 HCC are:

  • First place: Endicott College
  • Second place: Yale University
  • Third place: Northern Arizona University

Individual category winners are:

  • Best Poster: Texas Tech University
  • Case Study Contest: Endicott College
  • Connection Creation Contest: Yale University

2023 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition Winners

The 19 student-led teams developed designs and business plans to power blue economy activities using a range of marine energy technologies. Eighteen competitors also tested prototypes of their designs in test-tanks across the country.

The winners of the 2023 MECC are:

  • First place: University of New Hampshire
  • Second place: California Polytechnic State University
  • Third place: Purdue University

Individual category winners are:

  • Best Poster: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
  • Build and Test Challenge: University of Michigan partnered with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
  • Best Report: Cornell University
  • Best Pitch: University of New Hampshire
  • Connection Creation Contest: Manhattan College
  • Rookie of the Year Award: California Polytechnic State University

2024 Hydropower and Marine Energy Collegiate Competitions Competitors

DOE also announced the teams selected to compete in the 2024 HCC and MECC. The 2024 HCC asks teams to suggest solutions for adding power-generating infrastructure to existing non-powered dams, and the 2024 MECC continues to ask teams to develop solutions for ways marine energy can help power the blue economy.

Ten teams were selected for the second annual HCC.

  • California Polytechnic State University
  • California State University, Fresno
  • Columbia University
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Texas Tech University
  • University of Houston
  • University of Michigan
  • University of North Florida
  • University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Twenty teams were selected for the fifth annual MECC.

  • Arizona State University
  • California Polytechnic State University
  • California State University, Fresno
  • California State University, San Marcos
  • Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
  • Illinois Institute of Technology
  • Manhattan College
  • Michigan Technological University
  • Northeastern University
  • Oakland University
  • Oregon State University
  • Purdue University
  • Rutgers University
  • Stevens Institute of Technology
  • University of California, Riverside
  • University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
  • University of New Hampshire
  • University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • University of Houston
  • Webb Institute

The two competitions have so far engaged a combined total of 15 minority-serving institutions, including Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal colleges and universities, as well as 13 international schools.

DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office funds both competitions. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) administers the MECC, and NREL and the Hydropower Foundationadminister the HCC.

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JUNE 1, 2022

 

First Hydropower Collegiate Competition and 2023 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition Competitors Also Announced

 

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the winners of the 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC). Webb Institute emerged as the overall winner in this third annual competition. Alongside the 2022 MECC winners, DOE also announced the new wave of students who will compete in the inaugural Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC) and 2023 MECC.

“We congratulate the winners, alongside all the 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate competitors for demonstrating new possibilities for how we can use marine energy to meet our climate goals,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman. “I’m also excited to see what’s in store for the 2023 Marine Energy and Hydropower Collegiate Competition teams as they gain real-world experience and make connections through these competitions as they begin their careers. We hope to see many of these talented students join the hydropower or marine energy industries in the years ahead.”

The MECC calls on multidisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students to propose new ideas for marine energy to capture the power of the ocean. Marine energy has the potential to provide clean energy to remote and island communities and for blue economy applications such as ocean observation technology or desalination systems.

The HCC will provide a platform for students to develop unique solutions to complex challenges related to hydropower’s ability to enable a decarbonized electricity grid. Hydropower already plays an important role in the U.S. power system, providing 37% of total renewable electricity generation and 93% of grid-scale energy storage, and the industry still has untapped potential. However more than a quarter of current workers in the hydropower industry will reach retirement age in the next decade, so achieving these significant growth opportunities will require a focus on expanding this workforce.

2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition Winners 

The 17 student-led competing teams developed designs and business plans to power blue economy activities using a diverse range of marine-energy technologies. Fourteen of the competitors also tested their designs in tanks of all sizes and capabilities across the country, and one team even tested their prototype in a lake.

The following teams were selected as winners of the 2022 MECC:

  • First-place winner: Webb Institute
  • Second-place winner: Oregon State University
  • Third-place winner: University of New Hampshire

Individual category winners included the following:

  • Best Community Outreach: Webb Institute
  • Best Build and Test: Virginia Tech, partnering with University of Maine
  • Individual product category winners:
    • Best Business Plan: University of Washington
    • Best Pitch: Michigan Technological University
    • Best Poster: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
    • Best Technical Report: University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
  • Out of the Tank Award: Virginia Tech, partnering with Stevens Institute of Technology

The 2022 MECC culminated in a written report submission, poster, and virtual week-long final event where the teams pitched their market assessments and detailed technology designs, networked with the marine energy industry, and celebrated their accomplishments.

Announcing the 2023 Hydropower and Marine Energy Collegiate Competitions Competitors

In the HCC’s first year, multidisciplinary teams will gain direct hydropower industry experience, valuable exposure to potential career pathways, and greater understanding of hydropower’s role in a clean energy future.

The 2023 HCC cohort comprises 11 teams of students representing various regions of the United States.

  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • Endicott College
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • Texas Tech University
  • University of California Riverside
  • University of Houston
  • University of Virginia
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
  • Yale University

Next year’s MECC will continue to challenge competitors to leverage the ocean in addressing power needs for a chosen sector of the blue economy. The 2023 MECC cohort includes 19 teams of students.

  • California Polytechnic State University
  • California State University Fresno (partnering with University of California Merced)
  • California State University San Marcos
  • Cornell University
  • Manhattan College
  • Michigan Technological University
  • North Carolina A&T State University (partnering with University of North Carolina Wilmington)
  • Oakland University
  • Oregon State University
  • Purdue University
  • Stevens Institute of Technology
  • Texas A&M University
  • University of California Riverside
  • University of Houston
  • University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
  • University of Michigan (partnering with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
  • University of New Hampshire
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (partnering with Instituto Superior Técnico)
  • Webb Institute

In total, the 2023 HCC and MECC will engage seven minority-serving institutions, including Hispanic-serving institutions, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, and a historically Black university.

EERE’s Water Power Technologies Office funds both competitions. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) administers the MECC, and both NREL and the Hydropower Foundation administer the HCC.

Follow the 2023 HCC and MECC teams over the next year as they contribute to the clean energy transition. You can also sign up for email alerts to keep up with the latest on HCC, MECC, and other water power news.

Learn more about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers and workforce development opportunities on the Hydropower STEM Portal and Marine Energy STEM Portal.

 

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Seventeen Teams Are Set To Compete in the NREL-Run Competition in Spring 2022

A new wave of innovation is rolling in with the third batch of Marine Energy Collegiate Competition contenders.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced the 17 teams chosen to participate in the DOE 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC): Powering the Blue Economy™.

Administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, on behalf of EERE’s Water Power Technologies Office, the competition challenges interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students to propose unique solutions to the burgeoning marine energy industry.

For the third competition, teams will have nearly a year to create a business plan and develop, design, and potentially test their renewable energy technologies that support resilient coastal communities and provide power at sea.

Introducing A Tidal Wave of Talent

NREL chose the following teams to participate in the competition, culminating in spring 2022:

  • Boise State University
  • California State University, San Marcos – partnering with New Mexico State University
  • Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
    Michigan Technological University
  • North Carolina A&T State University – partnering with University of North Carolina Wilmington
  • Oregon State University
  • Purdue University
  • Texas A&M University at Galveston – partnering with Sam Houston State University, University of Rochester, University of Sao Paulo, Qatar University, and University of
  • Engineering and Technology, Taxila
  • University of California, Riverside
  • University of Houston
  • University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
  • University of New Hampshire
  • University of North Florida
  • University of Washington
  • Virginia Tech – partnering with Stevens Institute of Technology
  • Virginia Tech – partnering with University of Maine and Queen’s University Belfast
  • Webb Institute

These competitors are poised to be the next blue economy innovators as they gain real-world experience and make industry connections to prepare for future careers in marine energy.

While few institutions provide marine-specific advanced degrees, related experience is highly valuable when pursuing blue economy workforce opportunities. From researchers and engineers to educators and communicators, this competition offers abounding opportunities in the blue economy.

Inspiring Blue Economy Ingenuity

To explore this potential, the MECC encourages applications from students with a variety of technical and scientific expertise to uncover innovative thinking.

“The MECC provides an opportunity for a diversity of experience, education, and perspectives in exploring the possibilities of the blue economy,” said Arielle Cardinal, the MECC operations manager at NREL. “We’re excited to support the 2022 competitors in bringing new ideas and innovations to the forefront of marine energy.”

Submissions can run the gamut from concepts that aid in ocean observation and underwater vehicle charging to desalination and more, including—but not limited to—the markets identified in DOE’s Powering the Blue Economy™ report.

The 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition teams will be challenged to:

  • Develop a market-research-supported business plan and conceptual-level technical design of a system that could be commercialized to address power needs for a chosen sector of the blue economy
  • Pitch their plan to a panel of judges and hypothetical investors
  • Design, build, and test a device to achieve energy production (optional)
  • Engage with their community through outreach and educational activities.
  • Follow their progress as these teams set sail on a journey to bring new innovations to the blue economy.
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