Small Wave Energy Power Plants Could Be Wave Energy’s Path Forward
Anyone who looks out at the ocean may feel awed by the power apparent in every wave. That power has the potential to provide energy to land-based homes and businesses, as well as floating facilities and vessels at sea. But how can we transform the ocean’s energy into usable forms, such as electricity or desalinated water?
One way to harness the ocean’s energy is through a device called a wave energy converter, or WEC. To date, WEC designs have been generally centered on large, rigid bodies that float in the water and move relative to each other as waves roll past. These bodies typically absorb ocean wave energy and focus that energy into a centralized conversion mechanism, such as a rotary generator or hydraulic piston.
Now, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is exploring ways to significantly advance wave energy converter design and development. With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Water Power Technologies Office, NREL researchers are developing concepts in which many small energy converters can be aggregated to create a single structure. With this new approach to developing wave energy, the domain of distributed embedded energy converter technologies (DEEC-Tec) could help the promise of substantial renewable energy generation from ocean waves become a reality.
Figure 1. Stretched and deformed sample volume of a flexWEC’s structure illustrating the basic use of distributed embedded energy converters (DEECs) to create power from wave energy. The sample volume has two sections where material is removed to clarify their respective arrangements: (1) the middle section has the supporting compliant material framework removed, and (2) the right section has both the supporting compliant framework and the DEECs removed. The illustration showcases how the combined semicontinuous nature of DEEC technologies supports the development of materials and structures for ocean wave energy harvesting and conversion devices.
Why Distribute and Embed Multiple Energy Converters?
One of the most innovative elements of DEEC-Tec is its ability to create flexible ocean wave energy converters, sometimes known as flexWECs. These devices have inherently broad-banded ocean wave energy absorption and conversion characteristics, meaning they can harvest energy across a wide range of ocean wave heights and frequencies.
DEEC-Tec provides a new scope of possibilities for how ocean wave energy can be harvested and converted and how flexWEC designs could power a variety of end uses both on land (powering homes and businesses) and at sea (powering navigation buoys and marine vehicles). Some of these uses will support DOE’s Powering the Blue Economy™ initiative, which aims to advance marine renewable energy technologies, such as navigation buoys or autonomous underwater vehicles, to promote economic growth in industries such as aquaculture.
“Our goal with DEEC-Tec is to vastly broaden how we currently conceptualize and envision the use of ocean wave energy,” said NREL researcher Blake Boren, who has been studying wave energy converters for over 10 years. “There is a tremendous range of possibilities for how we can develop these DEEC-Tec-based wave energy converters, and we are accelerating that exploration process.”
Figure 2. Three possible flexWEC archetypes showcasing the nondeformed and dynamically deformed states of DEEC-Tec-based flexWEC structures. The yellow flexible bodies in each archetype represent the DEEC-based, compliant structures illustrated in Figure 1. (Note: Nothing is to scale; flexWEC archetype figures and scenes are solely illustrative.)
How DEEC-Tec Moves Wave Energy Forward
DEEC-Tec concepts are assembled from many small energy converters that, together, form a structure that can undulate like a snake, stretch and bend like a sheet of fabric, or expand and contract like a balloon. As the overall structure bends, twists, and/or changes shape as the ocean waves roll past, each embedded energy converter can turn a portion of that ocean wave energy into electricity.
A flexWEC has several advantages:
- A broader spectrum of energy capture. With a wide range of movement and deformations available, DEEC-Tec-based wave energy converters absorb and convert ocean wave energy across a much broader range of wave conditions — both in terms of size and frequency — when compared with rigid-body converters.
- Mechanical redundancy. The ability to use many hundreds or thousands of distributed embedded energy converters can ensure that ocean energy conversion occurs even if one or more of those converters stops functioning.
- Resilience. The DEEC-Tec-based wave energy converter’s flexibility grants an inherent survival mechanism: the ability to ride out and absorb excessive, dangerous surges of energy from large storms and rough seas.
- Favorable materials. DEEC-Tec-based wave energy converters could be manufactured from recycled materials or simple polymers. These replace heavier, sometimes more expensive materials that have historically been used for wave energy converter development, such as steel or rare-earth elements needed for large permanent magnets. Moreover, existing mass-manufacturing techniques could be used for straightforward and cost-effective DEEC-Tec component fabrication.
- Easier installation. DEEC-Tec-based wave energy converters can be folded, deflated, or otherwise made compact for transport from a manufacturer to a deployment site. Likewise, for installation, they can be expanded to cover broad surface areas as needed. This would allow for robust energy capture with lower capital costs.
- Reduced maintenance schedules. Monitoring the relative performance of many small devices determines the need for DEEC-Tec-based wave energy converter maintenance throughout the structure. The inherent redundancy of the structure potentially translates to less frequent inspections and maintenance requirements.
- Near-continuous structural control. A DEEC-Tec-based wave energy converter is composed of numerous small transducers — mechanisms that convert one form of energy into another. Some of these can serve as simple electrical actuators, which can change the converter’s shape and movement in response to ocean wave conditions. This will allow for greater ocean wave energy harvesting and conversion control.
Bending to the Future
While there are many advantages to using DEEC-Tec in the research and development of ocean wave energy converters, there are still unknowns that need to be understood and addressed. To this end, NREL researchers are identifying the materials, structural designs, electronic systems, and manufacturing methods that could advance DEEC-Tec concepts for marine renewable energy. NREL’s work also includes DEEC-Tec subcomponent validation and codesign, computational models to simulate performance, and device proofs of concept for building and validation.
As part of this research, NREL is collaborating with outside institutions, such as the University of Colorado–Boulder, Netherlands-based energy company SBM Offshore, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories.
Learn more about NREL’s work on distributed embedded energy converter technologies.
Article and Images courtesy of the NREL, the U.S. Department of Energy.
Honda wants in on the growing demand for affordable EVs. With the company’s CEO saying EVs selling for under $30,000 will be the main competition in the US, Honda may offer one of its own.
Honda mulls launching a sub-$30,000 EV in the US
Honda currently sells one fully electric vehicle in the US, the Prologue, which shares the same Ultium platform as the Chevy Equinox EV and all of GM’s electric cars.
The company confirmed that the Acura ZDX will not return for the 2026 model year, as it prepares for a new lineup over the next few years.
During the Japan Mobility Show last week, Honda unveiled the Super-ONE, a prototype of its smallest and most affordable EV set to launch in Japan next year, followed by Europe, the UK, and other global markets. Although the Super-ONE is not expected to arrive in the US, Honda may still offer an EV for under $30,000.
Honda’s CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, told reporters in Japan last week (via The Drive) that looking ahead, the main competition in the US will be affordable EVs, priced under $30,000.
“So, for the future, we will consider coming up with EVs under $30,000 as well,” Mibe said. However, don’t expect to see it anytime soon.
Thanks to the Trump administration killing off the $7,500 federal tax credit and ending other policies promoting EV adoption, Honda believes it has some time before it needs to launch it.
“What’s making it difficult, of course, is with the IRA subsidies now gone, with the Trump administration in place, we have the sense that maybe EV growth has been moved back out, maybe out five years in the further future,” Mibe said.
Due to the changes, Honda is aiming to launch more affordable EVs priced under $30,000 closer to the end of the decade.
“If we think about whether we have to really come up with those affordable EVs right away, we get the feeling not really,” Mibe said, adding it will be around 2030 before we see it.
Honda also wants to introduce an electric sports car, but “given this slowing down environment of the electrification in the market, it is kind of hard to decide when we would make them available to the market, ” Mibe added, saying it will simply launch “sometime in the future.” Honda has already made several prototypes.
The 0 Series Alpha SUV, revealed at the Japan Mobility Show, offers a preview of what the lower-priced EV could look like when it arrives.
In the meantime, Honda will focus on hybrids. The company is set to introduce its next-gen mid-size hybrid platform in 2027, promising it will be more efficient, less costly, and free of rare-earth materials.
Although it’s still not under $30,000, Honda is offering over $16,500 off with stackable savings on the 2025 Prologue in most US states.
Want to see the Prologue in person? You can use our link to find the Honda Prologue at a dealership in your area (trusted affiliate link).
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The board of Rivian has introduced a new pay package for the American automaker’s founder and CEO, RJ Scaringe, incentivizing him to stay on target and maintain growth over the next decade. If it comes to fruition, Scaringe’s revamped pay package could be one of the most robust in history.
Rivian, although a growing name in the automotive conversation, remains a relatively young brand. While it took some time (and plenty of money) to scale, Rivian finally hit its stride in R1 and EDV production at its flagship facility in Normal, IL.
Since then, the American EV automaker’s financial reports have been trending upward, most recently in its Q3 financials, which detailed an increase in deliveries, revenues, and gross profits. Through thick and thin, Rivian’s founder and CEO, RJ Scaringe, has always been at the helm.
The company was originally founded as Mainstream Motors in 2009 by Scaringe himself, an MIT grad who studied engineering and lean manufacturing. Scaringe grew up near Melbourne, Florida, where he would work on cars with his neighbor and spend much of his time outdoors hiking and exploring.
As Scaringe grew older, he found himself driving miles into nature to hike, and became aware that he was contributing to the pollution of an environment he looked to preserve. As a result, the company was born.
Flash forward to today, and Rivian is currently selling its second-generation R1S and R1T EVs, as well as a new flagship model called the R2, which is due in the first half of 2026. Aside from helping battle climate change and provide consumers with dependable and rugged alternatives to traditional combustion pickups and SUVs, Rivian’s CEO does have to make a living, and has a pay plan in place.
However, Rivian’s board has announced a revamped plan with new and potentially more realistic milestones that could pay its founder and CEO handsomely.
Rivian CEO’s pay plan tied to stocks and financial targets
As reported by Reuters, Rivian’s board has decided to nix CEO RJ Scaringe’s current pay plan, which it said would likely not be met. Instead, Scaringe’s future as Rivian’s founder is secure through a new plan, complete with lower goals regarding share growth. The board also voted to double Scaringe’s base salary to $2 million.
According to a filing with the SEC, this new plan grants Rivian’s CEO options to purchase up to 36.5 million shares of the automaker’s Class A stock at an exercise price of $15.22 per share. Reuters notes that the purchase option involves approximately 16 million more shares than the previous grant awarded to Scaringe in 2021.
According to the new payment plan, the CEO’s award will be realized if Rivian achieves reduced stock-price milestones, which range from $40 to $140 per share over the next decade. That’s a more manageable number compared to stock milestones in the now-defunct pay package that required Rivian to reach a share price between $110 and $295 each.
Other required milestones include operating income and cash flow targets over the next seven years. If Rivian hits all the milestones in this revised package, its CEO will rake in up to $4.6 billion, while shareholders will gain $153 billion in value.
This news is quite topical as Tesla shareholders recently approved an astronomical pay package of $3 trillion for CEO Elon Musk, who, unlike Scaringe and despite what he says, is not a founder of the company he leads.
The revamped focus on growth and profits for the company, its CEO, and Rivian shareholders comes just a few weeks after Rivian announced it was laying off over 4% of its staff to lean down ahead of the R2 launch. R2 has a powerful hype train behind it, as a smaller, more affordable Rivian EV that aims to compete with the ultra-popular Tesla Model Y.
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