Resolute Marine Energy, Inc

Resolute Marine Energy (RME) is developing technologies that produce clean energy from ocean waves. Since the company’s founding in 2007, RME has received generous research and development funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Interior – Bureau of Reclamation and test program support from organizations including the University of North Carolina – Coastal Studies Institute and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

RME’s goal is to build and sell smaller-scale, wave-driven power solutions (1-50kW) utilized in commercial applications including open-ocean aquaculture, seawater desalination and ocean observation systems. Our longer-term goal is to develop WEC technologies that are appropriate for utility-scale, grid-connected electricity generation.

RME is committed to uphold the highest standards of ocean stewardship and to deliver triple-bottom-line returns to stakeholders in terms of measurable financial, social and environmental benefits.

Over the past years, RME has won numerous awards including the West African Forum for Clean Energy Financing Competition (WAFCEF) (2013);  “Engineer of the Year” in sustainable development”, Usine Nouvelle (2012); and was twice named to the Marine Technology Reporter’s “MTR 100” which annually recognizes the top 100 global innovators in ocean science and engineering.

Resolute Marine Energy (RME) is developing technologies that produce clean energy from ocean waves. Since the company’s founding in 2007, RME has received generous research and development funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Interior – Bureau of Reclamation and test program support from organizations including the University of North Carolina – Coastal Studies Institute and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

RME’s goal is to build and sell smaller-scale, wave-driven power solutions (1-50kW) utilized in commercial applications including open-ocean aquaculture, seawater desalination and ocean observation systems. Our longer-term goal is to develop WEC technologies that are appropriate for utility-scale, grid-connected electricity generation.

RME is committed to uphold the highest standards of ocean stewardship and to deliver triple-bottom-line returns to stakeholders in terms of measurable financial, social and environmental benefits.

Over the past years, RME has won numerous awards including the West African Forum for Clean Energy Financing Competition (WAFCEF) (2013);  “Engineer of the Year” in sustainable development”, Usine Nouvelle (2012); and was twice named to the Marine Technology Reporter’s “MTR 100” which annually recognizes the top 100 global innovators in ocean science and engineering.

Design Objectives

The ocean is an extremely demanding environment that, in order to ensure the survivability and cost-effective operation of wave energy converters (WECs), requires careful attention to several design parameters. RME expects its WECs will be adopted in many offshore power markets because our design objectives are focused on features that deliver tangible benefits to our customers including:

• simplicity - fewer parts subject to wear/breakage
• modularity - fits any size power need & easy to maintain
• adaptability - adjusts to different wave climates without excessive customization
• compactness - minimizes transportation/installation/retrieval costs

RME’s WEC testing program has validated our design strategy and as a result we expect to achieve sustainable competitive advantages related to lower up-front capital cost, lower operation & maintenance costs and significant potential for profit margin expansion when our WECs are manufactured in larger numbers.

Technology Development Milestones 

In January 2009, RME conducted sea trials of an early point-absorber WEC prototype pursuant to a NOAA-funded project to develop a renewable energy power supply for offshore aquaculture systems. Since then, RME has been focused on developing a near-shore, bottom-mounted hinged flap design with R&D funding provided primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy. We feel this particular design is ideal for several reasons:

• As a near-shore (shallow water) WEC technology, a much lower proportion of total project costs need to be spent on the transmission system (pipes and cables) that carries energy from the WEC(s) to shore;
• As a WEC technology that is fixed to the seabed:

• there are no mooring lines that can become entangled or entrap marine wildlife;
• the WEC(s) are not exposed to the extreme loads present at the surface during severe storms and in “full protection” mode, the flaps can be locked down flat.

Since RME’s founding in 2007 we have been developing and validating proprietary hydrodynamic modeling tools with assistance from researchers at MIT and private consultants and have conducted several rounds of scale-model tests at Alden Labs in Massachusetts and at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Ohmsett facility in New Jersey.  In addition, we have conducted two rounds of ocean trials on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with the cooperation and assistance of the University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute (UNC-CSI) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Intellectual Property

RME has filed patent applications related to certain aspects of its WEC designs and expects to continue doing so as additional innovations are discovered.