CCEE student researches methods to harness ocean hydropower as part of NCROEP internship

Across the globe, CCEE students are working toward building a more sustainable future.

Undergraduate student Olivia Holbrook is interning with the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program (NCROEP) this summer as part of NC State’s Rural Works Internship Program. The NCROEP is a research partnership that integrates coastal, electrical, civil and mechanical engineering with natural and social sciences to research and develop technologies to harness ocean hydropower as a source of renewable energy for the state.

Holbrook is among other students, researchers and professionals from the Coastal Studies Institute, NC State, NC A&T State University, UNC Charlotte and East Carolina University who are studying various aspects of marine hydrokinetic power generation, building the foundation required to utilize ocean currents and waves as a sustainable and renewable energy resource in the future.

Holbrook said that the internship has been the “perfect fit because the people here care about the ocean as much as I do. Its need to be protected drives our research. My undergraduate background is coastal engineering research has supported my dream of applying engineering skills to protect the marine environment. Living on the coast of Massachusetts has also inspired me every day to do the same.”

A version of this story was originally published by the Coastal Studies Institute.