NREL on the Coast (Text Version)

This is the text version for the video NREL on the Coast.

[Music starts]

[Shot of NREL logo outside campus, followed by spinning globe and zoomed in map of the United States]

[Narrator speaks]

NREL. Is. Everywhere.

OK, maybe not everywhere, but it might seem that way—at least in the United States. Our lab's water power research extends way beyond our Colorado home—reaching from coastlines in Hawaii and Oregon to rivers in Alaska and Mississippi and islands from Maine to Puerto Rico.

[Map pinpoints Colorado, and then lines navigate outward to locations mentioned, followed by renewable energy icons.]

And that's more than a fun fact; our coastal reach is critical to our work.

To help achieve a 100% clean energy future, we're working to refine water power technologies.

[Shots of researchers in a lab, water research device in body of water, wave technology in action, researchers working on wave technology devices.]

These devices harness the immense and highly reliable power flowing in our country's rivers and oceans and could pair up with other renewable energy sources to help decarbonize the U.S. power grid.

[Aerial shot of NREL research laboratory, researcher working inside lab, and computerized shots of waves and water]

In Colorado, our experts can mimic the ocean with computers and specialized instruments. But, to build technologies destined for wild, salty waters, at some point, you need the real thing.

OK, but what kind of work are we doing out in these waters? Let's take a closer look.

[Map of the United States zooms into Oregon, and then video of ocean appears in outlined state.]

At Oregon State University's PacWave Test Site, we're helping wave energy technologies ace their first open ocean test runs.

[Images of researchers out on boat in ocean examining wave energy device.]

[Map of United States zooms into Alaska, and then video of ocean appears in outlined state.]

Further north in Alaska, we're capturing and studying measurements of the Cook Inlet's immense tidal energy potential.

[Researchers on the back of a boat release device into ocean.]

[Map of United States zooms into Hawaii, and then video of wave energy converter appears in outlined state.]

Collaborating with the University of Hawaii and the University of New Hampshire, we're gathering precious data on how different technology designs react to real waves and tides. All that data can help us refine our future marine energy fleet.

[Shots of propellor creating waves in ocean, followed by shot of two researchers inside lab examining data.]

[Map of United States zooms into North Carolina, and then video of wave energy device floating in ocean appears in outlined state.]

In North Carolina, working with the Coastal Studies Institute, we're harnessing the power of waves to desalinate—or purify—ocean water to make clean drinking water.

[Map of United States zooms into Puerto Rico, and then video of ocean appears in outlined state, followed by group shot of community members, a shot of three people laying pipes in ground, a fuel tank, and a dam.]

Through the Energy Transitions Initiative, we're partnering with remote, rural, and island communities, like those in Alaska, Maine, and Puerto Rico. These vulnerable communities are eager to transition to clean, affordable, resilient energy—and we're eager to help them replace diesel fuel with clean water power.

[Map of United States zooms into Mississippi, and then video of garbage in waterway appears in outlined state, followed by shot of two people hanging over boat cleaning up waterway.]

Finally, out in the middle of the Columbia, Delaware, Mississippi, and Los Angeles Rivers, we're figuring out how to clean up waterborne plastics pollution using renewable energy from river currents.

[Zoomed out map of United States, followed by shot of wave crashing into cliff, aerial view of pier, and various wave energy sites across the country.]

Phew! There's more, but you get the idea: NREL's water power research stretches from coast to coast—and beyond. We might be landlocked, but our coastal partners unlock so many different, diverse sites for us to explore the future of water power.

And who knows? We might be working in your local river or ocean.

To help American communities—and the world—achieve their decarbonization goals, our researchers need those rushing waters … almost as much as the planet needs clean energy.

We're building the future of energy. Learn more about NREL's water power program at nrel.gov/water.

[Animated NREL logo]

[Narration ends, music stops]