The biannual U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Research and Development (R&D) Newsletter provides recent news about the Wind Energy Technologies Office's (WETO) R&D projects, funding opportunities, accomplishments, and recent publications.
Current Research & Development
Wind Forecast Improvement Project Saves Millions for Utilities and Customers
Regional wind data from around the U.S. helps improve a national weather forecasting model, which allows utility companies to better plan for windy days.
Fall 2023 R&D Newsletter
In This Issue
Current Research & Development
Letter from the WETO Deputy Director
The wind doesn’t always blow where it’s needed—that’s the biggest hurdle in fitting wind energy to the nation’s renewable energy needs. When the wind isn’t blowing, utility companies must turn to other clean electricity generators, such as solar power or hydropower, or even to fossil fuels. The key to clearing this hurdle is accurate weather forecasts, but weather forecasting isn’t a perfect science.
To help make weather forecasting more accurate, scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have teamed up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, as well as universities and private industry organizations, to improve weather forecasts.
Through their work on the Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP), the multiagency research has already helped save utility companies, and their customers, millions of dollars.
“With more accurate wind forecasts at turbine heights, utility companies can more efficiently balance their power generation from various sources, like wind, hydropower, or fossil fuels, and save money," says Raghavendra Krishnamurthy, an Earth scientist at PNNL and principal investigator for WFIP.
WETO has made some major announcements. Eric Lantz has been named the new director of WETO. Lantz will oversee WETO’s activities, which include conducting foundational research and development, performing annual deep dives into the state of the wind energy industry, organizing competitions and prizes to address critical wind energy challenges, and facilitating the acceleration of wind energy deployment across the country.
WETO-funded research has been integral to the advancement of wind energy in the United States. Read our latest case studies in a series highlighting WETO’s historic contributions to wind energy, including wind integration studies that helped wind energy become mainstream, research that led to wind turbine blade breakthroughs enabling more power at lower cost, decades-long support of modeling software, and a program that introduced electric utilities to emerging wind turbine technologies.
WETO’s interactive animation explores how distributed wind energy could be used in your local community, including in residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and public facilities. Distributed wind energy resources—technologies used to generate, store, and manage energy consumption for nearby energy customers—have the potential to diversify local energy sources to help provide clean renewable energy in your community.
Featured Publications
Learn more about WETO’s research and development efforts by visiting its Key Publications and Resources page for the latest publications that showcase wind energy advancements and strategic documents that are propelling the industry forward. Additionally, click here to dive into all WETO-funded publications.
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