Elena Baca

Elena Baca is a Researcher III in the Mechanical Engineering department at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Her work focuses on techno-economic modeling of marine energy systems, particularly wave and tidal energy, and developing tools like the marine energy module of the System Advisor Model to estimate energy production and cost trends. She has also collaborated on offshore renewable energy feasibility studies and software development for marine energy systems.

• Education:
• Master in Advanced Energy Systems Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
• Bachelor in Energy Systems Engineering (Business and Entrepreneurship Minor), Oregon State University

Baca’s research explores pathways to reduce energy costs, optimize marine energy systems, and enhance software for modeling and simulation. Her work spans power converter design, autonomous underwater vehicles, and data acquisition systems, emphasizing cost-effective and scalable solutions for renewable energy integration.

Recent publications highlight trends in marine energy techno-economics, software development for high-performance computing, and offshore energy feasibility, reflecting her interdisciplinary expertise in engineering and economic analysis.

No specific scientific awards are listed in the provided text.

Baca has collaborated with multidisciplinary teams at NREL and contributed to technical reports and peer-reviewed articles. Her professional experience includes prior roles in mechanical design and energy efficiency engineering.