Marine Energy Research

NREL research, development, and economic analyses help drive and empower the development of the marine energy industry.

At NREL, scientists and engineers advance wave energy and tidal, ocean, and river current energy technologies, which could deliver renewable electricity to the grid as well as powering offshore needs. Collaborating closely with the U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office and the marine energy community, NREL researchers leverage their extensive expertise in numerical modeling, laboratory testing, and open-water validation. Marine energy stakeholders benefit from NREL's decades of renewable energy experience, working together to provide solutions that can support and accelerate the development of the evolving blue economy.

To learn more about what tidal energy is and how it works, explore NREL’s Marine Energy Basics or tour REDi Island, a virtual world powered entirely by renewable energy.