Zeno Power has been awarded a $7.5 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to build and demonstrate a radioisotope power system (RPS) by 2026 that is capable of providing resilient, distributed power on the seabed. Funding for the contract is provided by the DoD’s Operational Energy Innovation (OE-I) office and the Office of Naval Research.

The objective of the “Distributed Energy Provided Throughout the Seas” program (“DEPTHS”) is to develop decentralized nodes for energy generation and distribution on the seabed – enabling future applications such as long-endurance sensors and charging stations for autonomous undersea vehicles. The contract is Zeno’s third government contract announced this year, bringing the company’s award total to over $40M.

Admiral John M. Richardson (USN, ret.), former Chief of Naval Operations and a member of Zeno Power’s Advisory Board, said, “Through the DEPTHS program, Zeno Power will demonstrate a commercially developed radioisotope power system to enable critical sensing and other seabed capabilities for Navy applications. The world’s oceans are increasingly becoming hotbeds of international competition, and ubiquitous access to power in maritime environments is critical to maintaining U.S. leadership.”

RPSs historically have provided safe, reliable, and long-endurance power in off-grid terrestrial environments where alternative power sources are infeasible. From the 1960s through the 1980s, the U.S. government utilized strontium-90 (Sr-90) RPSs in maritime environments to power navigational buoys and undersea sensing equipment. In reestablishing this technological capability for government customers, Zeno Power is combining a novel Sr-90 heat source with Stirling power conversion to provide improved performance compared to legacy systems.

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From the 1960s through the 1980s, the U.S. government utilized strontium-90 (Sr-90) RPSs in maritime environments to power navigational buoys and undersea sensing equipment. In reestablishing this technological capability for government customers, Zeno Power is combining a novel Sr-90 heat source with Stirling power conversion to provide improved performance compared to legacy systems.

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“A persistent, reliable power source is critical to enabling next-generation capabilities in challenging operational environments. The Operational Energy Innovation (OE-I) office is pleased to work with Zeno Power to demonstrate radioisotope power systems for these applications,” said RuthAnne Darling, Director of OE-I.

The DEPTHS team includes Blue Origin and Sunpower, who are developing and integrating the Stirling convertor in the RPS. Zeno is already working with Blue Origin and Sunpower to develop an RPS with Stirling conversion for use on the lunar surface as part of a $15 million NASA Tipping Point award announced in July. Other members of the DEPTHS team include PowerLight Technologies and the University of Dayton Research Institute.

“The DEPTHS program will meet a critical need for advanced nuclear technologies to power new scientific and national security missions in maritime environments,” said Zeno’s Co-Founder and CEO, Tyler Bernstein. “This contract, along with our current programs with the Space Force and NASA, underscores our ability to build and deliver operational systems to abroad set of government and commercial customers by 2026.”