When asked about the limitation of current ocean observing activities, power and batteries were most mentioned by experts as the leading constraint facing the industry. The $7 billion-dollar ocean enterprise market consists of numerous ocean floats, buoys, and gliders for observational data. Together, they provide greater visibility into our oceans and help inform decisions to approximately 400 US businesses and government agencies, all of which provide or use data for maritime security, environmental protection, and emergency response. Despite the breadth and importance of the so-called blue economy that is a part of the $33 trillion ecosystem product/services market, provisioning power at sea remains an unmet technical challenge.

​

Pyro-E has a hydrokinetic energy harvesting solution that can address the need for power for persistent ocean monitoring. The unique approach combines direct energy conversion with biomimicry for untethered, submersible marine power. The design provides an equivalent battery storage ~10,000 Ah. The technology highlights include:

• Species of salmon can actually exhibit passive propulsion due to its flexible body, which may explain how they often rest behind a rock to reach freshwater during the spawning season. 

• Biomimicry can be applied to marine energy devices to improve design and performance over battery storage. 

• Energy harvesting from fluid vorticity may actually reduce drag using a slender, flexible body glider. 

​

A technology white paper is available for dissemination.  

​

​