The Stabilizing Power of Wind

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Wind Energy Technologies Office

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April 18, 2022

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In This Issue

Continue to follow the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) for the latest news, events, and updates.


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Did You Know?

Utilities have increasingly deployed wind power to provide larger portions of electricity generation in the United States. Check out our website to learn how WETO works to create new strategies for integrating increasing amounts of wind energy into the power system while maintaining economic and reliable operation of the grid.


Silhouette of a wind turbine against a sunset.

Research & Development Feature

Wind Turbines Can Stabilize the Grid

A collaboration between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and General Electric has demonstrated that a common variety of wind turbine can serve the same underlying voltage and frequency stability services that are often provided by fossil fuel power plants.

Ultimately, this demonstration indicates that wind turbines can potentially stabilize the power grid, reducing the dependency on traditional sources of grid stability.

Read the full R&D feature.


News

2022 Collegiate Wind Competition Teams Plug Into Offshore Wind’s Electrifying Potential

This spring, 12 competing teams and four learn-along teams of college students from across the United States will present their wind energy innovations at the 2022 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC). The competition is May 16–18 in conjunction with the American Clean Power Association’s CLEANPOWER 2022 Conference & Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas.

The 2022 CWC focuses on the challenges associated with fixed-bottom offshore wind projects. By participating in the 2022 competition, students will develop the skills, experience, and industry connections that will help them break into the growing offshore wind industry and the wider renewable energy industry.

New Study Evaluates How Researchers and Decision Makers Can Balance Wind Energy Development with the Built and Natural Environment

In a paper recently published in Environmental Research Letters, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory explore challenges related to the expansion of wind power as the United States works to meet decarbonization goals. The researchers assess how technology innovation changes land-use requirements and how wind power technologies may interact with the surrounding built and natural environment as use of this crucial resource continues to expand.

We’re Hiring!

Ready for a career in world-saving? The Department of Energy (DOE’s) Wind Energy Technologies Office is currently looking to fill three permanent positions with qualified applicants! Read more about the Power Electronics Technology Manager, Systems Integration Technology Manager, and Director of Wind Energy Technologies Office positions on WETO’s new Careers web page.

Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship

Applications are now open for recent graduates and energy professionals to apply to DOE’s new Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship.

Woman with a laptop smiling: "Clean energy innovator fellowship - fellows and hosts apply by May 6"

This exciting program sends qualified fellows to spend one to two years working at critical energy organizations to advance clean energy solutions. Ideal candidates will already have clean energy related knowledge and skills and an interest to build them further. Fellows will get hands-on experience working at eligible host organizations, which include electric public utility commissions, municipal and cooperative utilities, and grid operators, such as regional transmission organizations or independent system operators. Potential fellows and hosts should apply by May 6, 2022.


Events

2022 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum (IPF) and U.S.-EU Energy Council High-Level Business Forum

Conference: April 26–28, 2022, Atlantic City, NJ

Hosted by the Business Network for Offshore Wind, this three-day offshore wind energy conference will consist of panels and presentations that will bring together the global offshore wind industry and offer the latest in educational content. Stop by the U.S. Department of Energy's booth #1006 to learn about the Wind Program's latest DOE-funded research and newest offshore wind initiatives. On Tuesday at 5 p.m., meet DOE's offshore wind team, including Offshore Wind Energy Lead Jocelyn Brown-Saracino, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Kelly Speakes-Backman, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Power Alejandro Moreno. U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm and EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson will co-lead the 2022 U.S.-EU Energy Council High-Level Business Forum, which will focus on offshore wind energy. The High-Level Business Forum will be held in conjunction with the IPF on Wednesday, April 27. Agenda and registration details can be found on the IPF website.

Offshore Wind Technology Conference 2022

Conference: May 2–5, 2022, Houston, TX

Advance your scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters by attending the Offshore Wind Technology Conference (OTC). On Tuesday, May 5, don’t miss Jocelyn Brown-Saracino, the Offshore Wind Energy Lead for the U.S. Department of Energy, as she highlights the importance of offshore wind as part of the just energy transition. Find more information on the OTC website.

Collegiate Wind Competition 2023 Application Process Informational Webinar

Webinar: May 3, 2022, 2 p.m. EDT

The U.S. Department of Energy is now accepting applications for the 2023 Collegiate Wind Competition! Join the competition organizers for an informational webinar covering the new application process and timeline. 

Can’t join the live event? Register anyway! After the webinar, we’ll send the recording to all registrants.

WINDSTAR Webinar on Enhanced Lightning Protection for Wind Turbine Blades

Webinar: May 11, 2022, 3 p.m. EDT 

This webinar, hosted by WindSTAR (Wind-Energy Science, Technology, and Research Industry/University Cooperative Research Center), will discuss lightning dynamics for wind turbine blades and a new blade coating technology developed by Arctura with funding from DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research program. Register for the webinar.

CLEANPOWER 2022 Conference and Exhibition

Conference: May 16–18, 2022, San Antonio, TX

The American Clean Power Association’s annual conference will feature panels, presentations, workshops, and poster sessions that make up the renewables mix from land-based and offshore wind to solar, storage, and transmission. Find more information on the event website.

Collegiate Wind Competition at CLEANPOWER 2022

Competition: May 16–18, 2022, San Antonio, TX

Join us at the 2022 U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition as multidisciplinary university teams present the culmination of their work in wind energy over the past year. Find more information on the event website.

2022 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

Conference: May 23–25, 2022, Denver, CO

The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America's energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its 12th year, the Summit offers a unique, three-day program aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market. Agenda and registration details can be found on the ARPA-E website.

Sandia Blade Workshop

Workshop: October 17–20, 2022, Albuquerque, NM

The workshop brings together wind industry experts, wind farm stakeholders and operators, manufacturers, and researchers to address the major topics for wind turbine blades, facilitate interaction and networking among the attendees, and identify future technology pathways. For more information, visit Sandia’s website.


In Case You Missed It

  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory studied perceptions of the shadows created by rotating wind turbines known as shadow flicker. They discovered that more exposure to shadow flicker does not mean more annoyance but subjective response to other factors.
  • Applications for the 2023 Collegiate Wind Competition are due June 20, 2022.
  • The National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium has extended the application deadline for their latest solicitation to May 10, 2022.
  • Wind Energy Technologies Office Director Bob Marlay retired on March 3, 2022, after serving in the federal government for 53 years.
  • DOE and the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium released a collaborative report authored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which outlines supply chain needs required to reach the United States’ national offshore wind energy goal of 30 gigawatts by 2030.
  • DOE announced the inaugural communities selected as part of the Communities Local Energy Action Program (Communities LEAP), a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to help energy-overburdened communities take direct control of their clean energy future.
  • President Biden announced his Fiscal Year 2023 budget request, which includes a significant increase for the Wind Energy Technologies Office focusing on offshore wind.
  • Nominations are now being taken for the 2022 Great Minds in STEM™ Awards!