TEAMER RFTS 18 Funds 30 Marine Energy Projects

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes · Last updated: 17 September 2026

On 15 September 2026, the US Testing Expertise and Access to Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) program approved 30 projects under its eighteenth Request for Technical Support (RFTS 18), committing over $4.7 million in technical assistance. The RFTS 18 awards pair selected applicants with TEAMER facilities — for example, Sandia National Laboratories, National Laboratory of the Rockies, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory — for activities that include numerical modeling, tank/flume testing, laboratory bench testing, Technology Evaluation and Development Advisory (TEDA) reviews, and commercialization support. Selected teams must submit completed Test Plans before assistance can begin, and applications for RFTS 19 are open through Friday, 16 October 2026.

What TEAMER funded and how the support is delivered

TEAMER’s RFTS 18 awarded technical support to 30 projects on 15 September 2026, distributing a total of over $4.7 million in in-kind facility time and expert assistance. Projects accepted to RFTS 18 will work with vetted facilities such as Sandia National Laboratories, National Laboratory of the Rockies, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and university wave-tank and numerical-modelling centres. Assistance types include third-party Technology Evaluation and Development Advisory (TEDA) reviews, numerical CFD and WEC-Sim simulations, bench and tank testing, open-water sea trials, and DOE-vetted commercialization support through facilities like Factor and Braid Theory.

Each successful applicant must submit a completed Test Plan before TEAMER assistance activities commence; the Test Plan is a formal prerequisite that defines the scope and schedule of facility work. TEAMER is funded by the United States Department of Energy through its Hydropower and Hydrokinetic Office, with program direction provided by the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust. This arrangement aims to give developers access to nationally recognised testbeds while concentrating technical risk-reduction resources on projects at different stages, from TRL 6 devices such as Dolphin Labs’ xNode to utility-scale simulations and IEC-aligned measurement training.

Technical priorities across the selected projects

RFTS 18 proposals cluster around four priorities: hydrodynamic and structural modelling, validated tank testing, fish- or environment-focused assessments, and commercialization readiness. Examples: Dehlsen Associates will run full-scale CFD on the LN12 point-absorber; HMEC will use Sandia’s Capytaine BEM solver plus WAMIT for Oscillating Water Column (OWC) coefficient verification; WEC-Sim will fund wave tank testing to validate a passive yaw feature; and Verdant Power asked 3U Technologies for a techno-economic analysis of grid interconnection options for a Long Island Sound utility-scale tidal project.

The program also funded environmental- and standards-focused work: GKinetic’s assessment will examine fish interactions; University of Alaska Fairbanks will run ADCP data processing and IEC alignment activities including outputs tied to IEC DTS 62600-50; and VGP Holdings (Valvoline Global Operations) will test candidate environmentally acceptable lubricants with ORNL using an EPA Mysid chronic toxicity test and the OECD 301B CO2 evolution biodegradability test. Those projects combine experimental datasets, validated numerical models, and standards-aligned deliverables to reduce deployment and permitting uncertainty.

Facilities, modelling tools and experimental platforms in use

TEAMER pairs developers with specialist facilities and community tools. Sandia National Laboratories and National Laboratory of the Rockies collaborate on WEC-Sim development and on TEDA Facility support; Michigan Technological University will host tank validation for WEC-Sim’s passive yaw; Oregon State University’s O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory will host 1:20 prototype tests for SWINGO; and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will refine tidal models for False Pass, Alaska using ADCP datasets and improved bathymetry.

Open-source and industry-standard codes are prominent: projects reference WEC-Sim, WecOptTool, OpenFAST, Capytaine, WAMIT, and various CFD packages. TEAMER records WEC-Sim’s initial release in 2014 and documents ongoing community validation efforts. This combination of community code, university test facilities, national lab capability, and commercial engineering firms (Glosten; Stress Engineering Service Inc.) demonstrates TEAMER’s deliberate use of shared tools to produce reproducible performance baselines and datasets for device scale-up.

Commercialisation, standards and de-risking pathways

Several RFTS 18 awards focus on commercialization pathways rather than pure device testing. Factor, Braid Theory, VentureWell and Rare Innovation are named as commercialization facilities that will help teams build investor narratives, identify non-dilutive funding, and sequence market entry. For example, Dolphin Labs will work with Factor on capital strategy and customer discovery, while NoviOcean and Slow Mill will use Braid Theory to validate beachhead markets and funding continuity plans.

Standards and IEC alignment recur as practical de-risking steps: University of Alaska Fairbanks’ work explicitly aims to align ADCP processing with IEC standards and the forthcoming IEC DTS 62600-50 on turbulence characterization, while Ocean Energy USA’s structural integrity work addresses gaps in naval-architecture standards when applied to WEC hulls. These activities produce deliverables — open datasets, scripts on MHKit, user guidance documents and validation cases on the MHKDR — that decision-makers can cite in permitting and financing conversations.

What RFTS 18 means for marine energy deployment timelines

RFTS 18 is designed to accelerate near-term demonstrations and to shorten the time between scaled testing and full-scale sea trials. Several funded items are explicitly stage-gated: North Carolina State University’s and WHOI work on stretch-hose moorings aims to validate adaptive PTO behavior for small WECs; Politecnico di Torino’s 1:20 SWINGO campaign will compare Model Predictive Control and a data-driven controller over a six-week experimental run; and Dolphin Labs seeks a three-month ocean deployment trial for xNode to demonstrate months-long reliability.

By funding both numerical validation and targeted sea trials — for example, Dehlsen Associates’ full-scale LN12 CFD, ORPC’s False Pass tidal refinement, and Ocean Energy USA’s fatigue and fracture-mechanics assessment for a 500 kW OE Buoy deployed in July 2024 at WETS — TEAMER reduces technical uncertainty on load cases, installation limits, and operational envelopes that investors and regulators require for larger arrays and grid-connected projects.

What could move this either way

The bottom line

RFTS 18 concentrates TEAMER’s resources on technical validation, environmental assurance, standards alignment and investor preparation across 30 projects with over $4.7 million in support. By funding both modelling and experimental campaigns — from full-scale CFD for LN12 to a 1:20 SWINGO tank program, a 500 kW OE Buoy integrity review, and commercialization roadmaps for TRL 6 devices — TEAMER reduces discrete deployment risks and produces datasets and standards-aligned outputs that can be cited in permitting and financing. The immediate next milestones are RFTS 19’s application deadline on 16 October 2026 and the submission of completed Test Plans by the RFTS 18 awardees.

What to watch

• Applications for RFTS 19 close on Friday, 16 October 2026.
• Selected RFTS 18 applicants must submit completed Test Plans before TEAMER assistance activities commence; no date has been set for those submissions.
• Watch for publication of datasets and MHKit scripts from the University of Alaska Fairbanks ADCP project; no date has been set.