SEQUIM — The RV Resilience, the state Department of Ecology’s first hybrid electric-diesel research vessel, is making its new home in Sequim.
The Resilience, which arrived at John Wayne Marina from Seattle on July 19, will be managed and operated by researchers at the Sequim campus of Ecology’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the only marine research laboratory in DOE’s complex, state officials said.
The vessel will “help usher in a new era of research at PNNL-Sequim,” as scientists study environmental impacts of marine energy, ocean-based carbon dioxide removal and coastal ecosystem sciences, DOE officials said.
An addition to the Resilience, PNNL-Sequim soon will be home to new seawater experimental tanks, a climate-controlled research space on an updated pier and an improved space for public outreach activities, DOE officials said.
At 50 feet long, RV Resilience is the first of its size class to be partially electrified. It’s big enough to fit a 113-kilowatt battery, Ecology officials said, but small enough to be nimble for research in Sequim Bay and beyond. It can travel up to 28 knots on two main diesel engines as well as at 6 knots on the battery. The battery can be recharged at a fast-recharging station at PNNL-Sequim.
“This research vessel is an exciting addition to our PNNL-Sequim campus and one of many capability enhancements supported by DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office,” Jud Virden, associate laboratory director for PNNL’s Energy and Environment Directorate, said in a press release.
“These investments in PNNL-Sequim will expand our ability to conduct coastal and oceanographic research and advance solutions for climate change, coastal resilience and national security.”
Resilience’s volume — or lack thereof — helps the vessel in its research activities. The ship is nearly silent when using its onboard batteries, Ecology officials said.
“That means less noise pollution to disturb wildlife, a better environment for taking sensitive acoustic measurements and reduced fossil fuel use,” DOE representatives said.
The ship’s size will not only allow researchers to travel further offshore, they noted, but it will accommodate large research equipment such as remotely operated vehicles, ocean observing systems and demonstration-scale marine energy devices.
See a video detailing Resilience’s capabilities at youtube.com/watch?v=E97DSiLWHSE.
Resilience also will allow PNNL-Sequim researchers to conduct environmental impact tests on marine energy infrastructure developed by industry, universities and other institutions. The Sequim-based laboratory is working with the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory to test a new tidal energy turbine recently installed in Sequim Bay.
“This first-in-class electric hybrid vessel will greatly expand our R&D and testing capabilities and help us build new partnerships,” said Christian Meinig, division director for PNNL’s Coastal Sciences Division.
“The large working deck and heavy lift capability will allow us to deploy and recover larger instruments and uncrewed vehicles to rapidly develop technology and deliver impact to our sponsors.”
Built by Snow & Company in Seattle, Resilience can carry two crew members and up to six scientists. It contains an onboard laboratory, lifting capacity with an A-frame and boom crane, a deck for deploying and recovering large instrument packages and support for a variety of sensors.
“RV Resilience opens up a whole new set of research possibilities and potential collaborations that we’re excited to share with the world,” said TJ Heibel, renewable energy lead for PNNL.
