This 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 Wind Energy Technologies Office Acting Director

Photo of Valerie Reed, Acting Director of the Wind Energy Technologies Office.

With the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Offshore WINDPOWER 2018 Conference upon us, industry stakeholders can celebrate another year of progress for U.S. offshore wind. In fact, with more than 25,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the pipeline, the U.S. offshore wind industry is taking off. Read more.

Current R&D

Stereo Vision Improves "Fly-By" Data for Offshore Wind Power

New capability enables 3D flight tracking of birds and bats in real time

Researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have come up with a novel way to integrate that stereo vision feature into software to better "see" the flight patterns of birds and bats. This new, real-time capability will enable scientists to better identify the animal species and their flight patterns around offshore wind turbines. Read more.

Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines Could Reduce Offshore Wind Energy Costs

Sandia Study Provides Insight into Technical and Economic Feasibility of This Less-Common Turbine Design

A new study by Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) provides a window into the technical and economic feasibility for deep-water offshore installations of a less-common wind turbine design: the vertical-axis wind turbine, or VAWT, as opposed to the horizontal-axis wind turbines commonly seen on and offshore. Read more.

Offshore Wind Market Value Varies Significantly Along U.S. East Coast

DOE-funded study combines historical weather data and wholesale market outcomes

A study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) finds that the market value of offshore wind—considering energy, capacity, and renewable energy certificate (REC) value—varies significantly along the U.S. East Coast and generally exceeds that of land-based wind in the region. The study's focus on the value of offshore wind complements the large body of existing work that has analyzed the cost of offshore wind. Read more.

Oh Buoy! PNNL Researchers Dive into Data Delivered from New Jersey Coast

Wind behavior and variable data will help industry identify most productive offshore wind locations

The winds off the nation's coasts, which blow harder and more uniformly than winds on land, have the potential to provide more than 2,000 gigawatts of generating capacity. However, before offshore wind turbines can be deployed to harness this energy, researchers must answer important questions—such as how much wind energy a turbine can capture at certain offshore sites. Read more.

IEA Research Study Extended To Improve Accuracy of Offshore Wind Systems Design Tools

Floating and fixed-bottom structures can benefit from further design optimization

Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) received a four-year extension of International Energy Agency (IEA) research that will advance the overall accuracy of offshore wind computer modeling tools. Read more.

Turbines in Terrain: Wind Forecasting Study Completed in Columbia Gorge

Four-year study generates one of the most comprehensive datasets collected in complex terrain

In 2017, wind turbines accounted for more than 6% of the nation's electricity supply—enough to offset the consumption of 24 million homes. But while wind is an up-and-coming energy powerhouse, its variable nature leaves wind farm operators uncertain about whether they will be able to deliver promised power, or if they might produce more power than the grid can accept. That question can lead to lost revenue. Read more.

Research Suggests Wind Turbines Can Provide Grid Reliability and Flexibility

Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) researchers, collaborating with Group NIRE and Baylor University, demonstrated that modulating the rotation speed of wind turbine rotors can offer two important grid services—load balancing and stability management—among other potential benefits to provide flexibility and resilience on the grid. Read more.

Recent Publications

Visit the Energy Department's Wind Technology Resource Center for research reports, publications, data sets, and online tools developed by national laboratories and facilities.

DOE in the News

Department of Energy Announces $18.5 Million for Offshore Wind Research

DOE announced the selection of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to administer an $18.5 million offshore wind research and development (R&D) consortium. The consortium is a cooperative innovation hub that will bring together industry, academia, government and other stakeholders to advance offshore wind plant technologies, develop innovative methods for wind resource and site characterization, and develop advanced technology solutions for installation, operation, maintenance, and supply chain.

Offshore Wind Technical Challenges: Blog Series

Wind resources off U.S. coasts are ripe for further offshore wind development. As the United States looks to deploy more offshore wind infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Energy launched a blog series exploring several U.S.-specific technical challenges that will need to be overcome. Read about the reality of floating wind power, offshore wind turbine foundations, and hurricane resiliency.

DOE 2017 Wind Market Reports Indicate Strong Wind Power Installation Trends and Falling Prices

DOE released three wind energy market reports demonstrating that as wind installations continue across the country and offshore wind projects move beyond the planning process, technology costs and wind energy prices continue to fall. The reports cover three market sectors: land-based utility scale, distributed, and offshore wind.

Keeping the Lights On: Essential Reliability Services

The electric grid's health is maintained by system operators who use a combination of automated and manual controls to adjust various aspects of the system to keep the grid reliable by ensuring a balance between supply (generation) and demand (load). The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) calls these aspects of electricity essential reliability services. They're sometimes also referred to as ancillary services and generally consist of three main aspects: frequency response, balancing, and voltage control.

The California State University Maritime Academy Blows Away Competition at 3rd Biennial Collegiate Wind Competition

After three days of the Department of Energy's Collegiate Wind Competition held at the American Wind Energy Association's annual WINDPOWER Conference, The California State University Maritime Academy beat out 11 other teams to claim top honors at the 3rd biennial Collegiate Wind Competition.

U.S. Department of Energy Announces REpowering Schools Partnership to Advance Wind Curricula

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) announced a private-public partnership with the nonprofit organization REpowering Schools to expand Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) curricula and to help students explore a career in the renewable energy workforce. Working through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), DOE initiated the Wind for Schools project in 2005 and currently supports K-12 and university-level STEM efforts in 12 states.

Past Issues

See previous versions of the Wind Energy Technologies Office R&D Newsletter.

Funding and Other Opportunities

Upcoming R&D Funding Opportunity for Advanced Manufacturing of Offshore Wind Technologies

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office and Advanced Manufacturing Office, intends to issue a request for proposal on "Advanced Materials and Manufacturing R&D for Offshore Wind Components" during the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. Focus of this opportunity will be on the additive manufacturing of materials and methods for offshore wind components. Please send an email with your name, affiliation, and email address to Dominic Lee (leedf@ornl.gov) to receive information about this opportunity as it becomes available.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Releases Request for Proposal (RFP) for Collegiate Wind Competition 2020

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory has issued a Request for Proposal for colleges and universities interested in participating in the DOE Collegiate Wind Competition 2020. The organizers will select 10 to 12 teams of students to compete in the challenge, co-located with the American Wind Energy Association's WINDPOWER Conference in Denver, Colorado on June 1–4, 2020. Interested students and faculty can learn more about the RFP and its requirements by visiting the FedBizOpps listing.

Events

AWEA Offshore WINDPOWER 2018 Conference

October 16–17, 2018

Washington, D.C.

VERGE Energy Conference

October 16–18, 2018

Oakland, California

International Offshore Wind Technical Conference

November 4–7, 2018

San Francisco, California

Southeast Renewable Energy Summit

November 7–9, 2018

Atlanta, Georgia

Renewable Energy Grid Forum

Nov. 8, 2018

San Francisco, California

AWEA Clean Energy Executive Summit

November 13–15, 2018

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Wind Wildlife Research Meeting XII

November 27–30, 2018

St. Paul, Minnesota

SciTech Wind Energy Symposium

January 7–11, 2019

San Diego, California

AWEA Wind Project O&M and Safety Conference

February 27–28, 2019

San Diego, California

2019 Business Network for Offshore Wind International Partnering Forum

April 8–11, 2019

New York, New York

AWEA WINDPOWER

May 20–23, 2019

Houston, Texas 

Articles by Topic

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