Did You Know?

College students can build real-world wind energy skills and industry connections by participating in DOE's Collegiate Wind Competition.

Check out our website to learn how WETO supports the development of a diverse, qualified wind energy workforce.

As wind energy becomes a larger part of the country’s renewable energy infrastructure, keeping wind power plants—and individual wind turbines—secure, safe, and reliable grows in importance. Although cybersecurity measures are incorporated into wind turbine designs, malicious threats remain possible and are always evolving, with potential consequences ranging from reduced energy generation to communications breakdowns between wind turbines and operators—or even the complete loss of a wind turbine’s ability to function. 

Discover how WETO is proactively working with multiple national laboratories to ensure that cybersecurity remains an essential component of wind energy.

Congratulations to the 13 teams selected to participate in Phase 2 of DOE's 2023 Collegiate Wind Competition! Among these 13 selected schools are three Hispanic-serving institutions, three Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, and one community college. 

Since 2014, DOE has held the Collegiate Wind Competition to provide college students an opportunity to build the skills and connections that will help them find jobs in the wind and renewable energy industries. Managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on behalf of WETO, the competition helps college students prepare for jobs in these industries through real-world wind energy technology, project development, and outreach experience.

DOE Seeks Information on University-Based Offshore Wind Centers and Co-Location of Aquaculture with Ocean Renewable Energy

DOE’s WETO and Water Power Technologies Office are requesting information on university-based offshore wind energy centers and the co-location of aquaculture and ocean renewable energy. Feedback is requested in the following areas:

• Effective strategies for catalyzing sustainable university-based Centers of Excellence dedicated to solving challenges associated with offshore energy workforce development and the academia-to-offshore wind energy industry pipeline
• Research needs associated with co-location of aquaculture and offshore wind energy
• Research needs associated with co-development of aquaculture and marine energy technologies.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to WindEnergyRFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. ET on March 15th, 2023. For more information, read the full RFI.

Technical Assistance Is Available to Improve Interconnection Processes

The Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange—a program led by DOE’s WETO and Solar Energy Technologies Office and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that focuses on inspiring new interconnection ideas and capabilities for wind energy, solar energy, and energy storage—is offering technical assistance for stakeholders to improve interconnection practices and processes for electricity distribution systems and the transmission system. This technical assistance must be specific to the interconnection of wind, solar, storage, electric vehicle charging facilities, or a hybrid integration of these technologies. This opportunity offers up to $750,000 total for up to 12 selected projects. 

The deadline to submit applications is 4 p.m. ET on March 21, 2023.

New Analysis Reveals Surging Interconnection Costs and Demands

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) analysis of the PJM Interconnection, funded in part by DOE’s i2X, found substantial interconnection cost increases and tremendous growth of PJM’s interconnection project queue. Learn what factors are driving these increases and other trends in electric capacity queues.

DOE Launches Funding Opportunity to Improve Wind Turbine Composite Materials 

DOE announced $30 million in funding to advance composite materials and additive manufacturing for large wind turbines, including for offshore wind energy systems. This funding opportunity seeks to improve the manufacturability and performance of composite materials—materials made up of multiple constituents, such as polymers and fibers. Projects funded through this initiative will help address the priorities established in DOE’s Offshore Wind Supply Chain Road Map and Floating Offshore Wind Shot™, as well as the Biden administration’s goals to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 and achieve a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. 

Distributed Wind Turbine Certification Just Got a Little Easier

Certification is an important step for the commercial deployment of small- and medium-scale wind turbines that produce distributed wind energy, which is used in homes, schools, farms, and remote communities at or near where it is generated. Certification verifies that the technology meets international standards—but the process can be complicated and costly for smaller companies. 

DOE just made the certification process more accessible to small manufacturers by covering the cost of preliminary reviews for certification.

Wind Energy End of Service Guide Now Available

WETO's WINDExchange initiative has launched a new web resource to provide information on the repowering or decommissioning processes for wind turbines and their related infrastructure. With over 70,000 turbines currently installed and more being deployed across the United States to reach state and federal renewable energy goals, the Wind Energy End of Service Guide can help communities better understand what happens when a wind energy project reaches the end of its service.

DOE Program Will Offer Technical Assistance for On-Site Energy, Including Wind 

DOE’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office announced a $23 million funding opportunity that intends to establish a regional network of Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships to help industrial facilities and other large energy users increase the adoption of onsite energy technologies.

With this announcement, DOE is soliciting applications from entities with expertise in onsite energy—including with distributed wind—who are interested in providing technical assistance services as part of the regional network. The program will accelerate the integration and deployment of clean energy technologies to drive decarbonization, productivity, and competitiveness in the U.S. industrial sector.