Yokogawa Co-awarded DARPA Project to Advance Oceanic Energy Harvesting $7.8M Award Aims to Revolutionize Renewable Energy for Ocean Monitoring Devices

Yokogawa Corporation of America, a provider of advanced solutions in the areas of measurement, control, and information, is pleased to announce that a collaborative team including Yokogawa has been awarded a research project by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and test a biologically fueled energy source to power research and sensing devices throughout the world’s oceans. The award for their Persistent Oceanographic Device Power (PODPower) system highlights the team’s commitment to pioneering advancements in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), a technology aimed at redefining how energy is harvested from ocean environments.

Through the use of microorganisms found in ocean water and specific bacteria, this collaborative initiative seeks to develop an MFC capable of generating consistent outputs of up to 10 watts for a year or longer. The devices could power a vast array of ocean sensing devices that provide critical information for understanding marine environments, monitoring climate change and maintaining national security. The project's innovative approach integrates advanced fermentation processes, novel electrode designs, and bio-inspired organic matter collection systems to overcome current technological limitations.

“MFCs are an innovative technology that converts organic matter directly into electricity by harnessing the metabolic activities of microorganisms. Advancements in this area will play a role in our future as we harness this knowledge to address GHG emissions, produce clean energy, and enhance waste treatment,” explains Dr. Amro Hassanein, Co-Principal Investigator and technology strategist, leading Yokogawa's efforts in this project. “MFCs can process a variety of organic substrates including wastewater, agricultural residues, industrial byproducts, and marine biomass, demonstrating their versatility in applications such as on-site power generation bioremediation, and biosensing.”

While recent advancements have improved the power densities and operational efficiencies of MFC systems, challenges remain in optimizing electrode materials, microbial communities, and reactor designs for better scalability and performance. The PODPower project tackles these issues head-on. By addressing these critical hurdles, PODPower is poised to revolutionize renewable energy access, setting new standards for sustainability and innovation.

Collaborative Excellence Fuels Innovation

The project team includes collaborators from eight esteemed institutions: University of Maryland, Harvard University, Battelle, the George Washington University, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, James Madison University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Delaware. Yokogawa Corporation of America joins this distinguished team as the only private company, providing essential technological and analytical expertise. Yokogawa will lead the technical area dedicated to optimizing MFC technology through precision monitoring, data acquisition and machine learning algorithms, delivering advanced solutions that enhance system performance and scalability.

A grant of $7.8 million has been awarded for the Phase 1 development and deployment of the system, with the project scheduled to continue through the summer of 2026.

Please refer to the press release by the University of Maryland: Maryland Today | $7.8M Award Aims to Revolutionize Renewable Energy.

DARPA | https://www.darpa.mil/

Yokogawa Corporation of America | https://www.yokogawa.com/us/