Spring 2019 newsletter about the DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office's R&D projects, accomplishments, upcoming events, and recent publications.
Wind Energy Technologies Office
May 22, 2019
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This biannual U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Research and Development (R&D) Newsletter provides recent news about the DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office's R&D projects, accomplishments, upcoming events, and recent publications.
Letter from the WETO Acting Director
Valerie Reed, WETO Acting Director
The U.S. wind industry is booming! As 2018 data continue to roll in, a few things are clear—wind is becoming more affordable, while industry growth is creating jobs and boosting rural economies, and offshore wind is scaling up. At the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), we're excited about trends that are crucial to our renewable energy future. Read more.
Current R&D
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Wake steering field trials reveal potential for wind-plant-level control to increase annual energy production 1%–2% and profits by $1 million. -
Design, manufacturing, and transportation option assessments show how “supersized” blades could increase energy, affordability, and site viability. -
U.S., Canadian, and Mexican collaboration on a new model helps industry plan an economically competitive and reliable long-term cross-border grid. -
An NREL study explores opportunities for increasing wind turbine hub height and the conditions and locations where these towers have the most impact. -
Small, light, wide-range tags more effectively track behavior and flight patterns, safeguarding bats from potential encounters with wind turbines. -
WETO workshop attendees share information about needs, challenges, and experiences unique to distributed wind, especially in rural areas. -
Accurate modeling of interactions between turbines, turbulence, and wakes indicates potential for lower wind plant costs and improved efficiency. -
More accurate evaluation of long-term wind speed variability and wind plant energy production could drive greater funding and lower energy costs. -
DOE announces the 12 teams competing in the competition, who will gain valuable real-world experience as they prepare to enter the workforce. -
Learn more about WETO’s R&D portfolio with an interactive map that allows users to search by states and types of partner organizations.
DOE News
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This small-scale field research project paves the way for a more comprehensive wind plant field validation effort. -
The consortium will address technological barriers to lower the costs and risks of offshore wind in the United States. -
A Business Network for Offshore Wind's "Offshore Wind Insider" podcast looked at the roles of DOE and NREL in offshore wind R&D.
Events
U.S. Offshore Wind
June 10–11, 2019
Boston, Massachusetts
IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting
August 4–8, 2019
Atlanta, Georgia
North American Wind Energy Academy/WindTech 2019 Conference
October 14–16, 2019
Amherst, Massachusetts
AWEA Offshore WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition 2019
October 22–23, 2019
Boston, Massachusetts
ESIG 2019 Fall Technical Workshop
October 28–30, 2019
Charlotte, North Carolina
Composites World 2019 Carbon Fiber
November 19–21, 2019
Knoxville, Tennessee
AWEA Renewable Energy Executive Summit 2019
November 19–21, 2019
Carlsbad, California
Funding News
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DOE selected ten projects totaling $6.8 million that will reduce the impacts of land-based and offshore wind energy on bats and other wildlife. -
Awards will help researchers develop lightweight, efficient turbine drivetrain systems for tall wind and offshore applications. -
The subsequent contract will support emerging technologies that detect and deter bird and bat encounters with wind energy facilities. -
WETO has issued a $28-million multitopic FOA aimed at enabling wind energy nationwide across all sectors: land-based, offshore, and distributed. -
The National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium announced release of its first RFP, which is related to offshore wind plant technology advancement.
Featured Publications
Visit DOE’s Wind Technology Resource Center for research reports, publications, data sets, and online tools developed by national laboratories and facilities.
- 2017 Wind Technologies Market Report
- 2017 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Update
- 2018 Distributed Wind Market Report Overview
- 2017 Distributed Wind Market Report
- Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project
- Workshop Report: Wind Innovations for Rural Economic Development (WIRED)
- R&D Pathways for Supersized Wind Turbine Blades
- WREN: Working Together To Resolve Environmental Effects of Wind Energy
- National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium: Research and Development Roadmap
- Wind Vision Detailed Roadmap Actions 2017 Update
- An Introduction to Grid Services: Concepts, Technical Requirements, and Provision from Wind
- A Systematic Approach to Offshore Wind Turbine Jacket Pre-Design and Optimization: Geometry, Cost, and Surrogate Structural Code Check Models
- Design Studies for Deep-Water Floating Offshore Vertical Axis Wind Turbines
- DOE Optimized Carbon Fiber Project
- U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office—Lasting Impressions
- Offshore Wind Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Energy
- IEA Wind TCP 2017 Annual Report
- Advancing the Growth of the U.S. Wind Industry: Federal Incentives, Funding, and Partnership Opportunities
- Wind Energy Facilities
- Wind Turbine Radar Interference Mitigation
- Atmosphere to Electrons: Enabling the Wind Plant of Tomorrow
- Wind for Schools Fact Sheet
- Block Island and Beyond: Offshore Wind Energy in the United States
Articles by Topic
Past Issues
See previous versions of the WETO R&D Newsletter.
This newsletter is also available for download: