Seatrec Wins $75,000 from DOE to Advance Thermal-Powered Profiling Float to Measure Zooplankton
Partnership with ASL Environmental Sciences introduces a new capability for profiling floats to acoustically measure zooplankton biomass and its vertical distribution
VISTA, Calif. — June 24, 2026 — Seatrec, a leader in thermal-powered profiling floats, has been selected as a winner of the DEVELOP Phase of the U.S. Department of Energy‘s (DOE’s) Powering the Blue Economy™: Power at Sea Prize, earning a $75,000 award. The company is integrating ASL Environmental Sciences’ Acoustic Zooplankton Fish Profiler (AZFP-pico) onto the infiniTE™ float powered by ocean thermal energy with a goal to measure vertical profiles of zooplankton and mesopelagic biomass. Seatrec previously won the CONCEPT Phase of the same competition in November 2024 with a $10,000 award.
“Measuring vertical profiles of zooplankton has been a dream for oceanographers,” explains Yi Chao, Ph.D., Seatrec’s founder and CEO. “Advancing to the DEVELOP Phase, and doing so alongside ASL Environmental Sciences, we are closer than ever to filling one of the most critical knowledge gaps in ocean science.”
“This is genuinely uncharted territory,” said Julek Chawarski, Ph.D., Biological Oceanographer at ASL Environmental Sciences. “The integration of ASL’s AZFP-pico with a long-endurance autonomous profiling platform could unlock an unprecedented view of meso- and bathypelagic scattering layers, providing persistent, basin-scale observations that have long remained beyond the reach of ocean science.”
Seatrec’s infiniTE™ float converts ocean temperature gradients into electricity using phase-change materials, enabling long-endurance missions with profiling as frequently as every few hours. That sampling frequency is critical for capturing the diurnal behavior of zooplankton and mesopelagic organisms central to the biological carbon pump. The AZFP-pico provides quantitative assessment of meso- and bathypelagic biomass, while an integrated CTD captures physical oceanographic context, together delivering high-frequency, long-duration observations that ocean science has not had before.
The Power at Sea Prize, one of DOE’s competitive programs, recognizes innovative marine energy concepts that could feasibly power blue economy applications, such as ocean-observing devices, aquaculture installations, and storm tracking systems.
DEVELOP Phase winners refine their technologies with support from industry mentors, networking opportunities, and targeted training, competing for a share of a $1.7 million final prize pool.
This milestone reinforces Seatrec’s commitment to driving sustainable innovation in ocean technology and its mission to contribute to a thriving blue economy while addressing critical challenges in marine resource management and climate science.
ABOUT SEATREC
Seatrec designs and manufactures subsea drones that generate electricity from ocean temperature gradients. Our products empower defense and oceanographic researchers to extend mission durations, optimize data collection, and reduce operational costs. By enabling the integration of advanced sensors previously limited in endurance and functionality, such as hydrophones, we open new possibilities for ocean science.
Seatrec’s energy-harvesting core technology was developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and spun out of the California Institute of Technology in 2016. Seatrec is headquartered in Vista, California. Visit us at seatrec.com.
Media Contact
Marta Bulaich
Seatrec, Inc.
marta.bulaich@seatrec.com
+1 (415) 816-1665