Abstract
An overview of the United States' Powering the Blue Economy (PBE) initiative. Specifically, how marine renewable energy's history and feasibility has influenced this new funding direction for the Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office. Marine energy has a unique opportunity to power other maritime industries as well as provide resilience for remote coastal communities. One particular application with promising futures is Ocean Observations & Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), which have low power requirements and feasible marine energy co-location. Overall, the US DOE has and will support the progression of these applications through traditional funding mechanisms and the suite of yearly prizes and challenges.