In order to make distributed wind energy technologies more cost-competitive and reliable, U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has issued a notice of intent under the Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) calling for U.S. manufacturers of small- and medium-sized wind turbine technology to develop project ideas and teams in preparation for a 2024 request for proposals.
Additionally, under DOE’s Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program, prior CIP awardee Carter Wind Turbines of Texas was selected to build a new facility to increase production of mid-sized turbines and improve wind energy access for remote, rural locations, and rugged terrains.
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The U.S. Department of the Treasury released new guidance on the Investment Tax Credit, providing the private sector with additional clarity in making investment decisions for offshore wind energy projects. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking provides transparency around the eligibility of power conditioning and transfer equipment like subsea export cables, equipment at substations, and transmission upgrades. For a summary of additional incentives and tax credits available for wind energy, see our funding factsheet.
A new report published by NREL for the International Energy Agency Wind Technology Collaboration Programme summarizes the findings of a meeting of global wind energy experts who identify the five Grand Challenges. Addressing these challenges could enable more efficient and reliable wind energy generation across the United States and the world.
Wind energy projects can impact local economies through job creation, tax revenue, local landowner income, and changes to home sale prices. DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has published a study with new findings on the effects of wind energy development on home prices.
Learn more by attending LBNL's webinar on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT where key information from the study will be highlighted.
Check out the topics for an upcoming Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) funding opportunity announcement (FOA). WETO will be seeking applications for the development of offshore wind environmental monitoring technology and energy storage for wind. Keep an eye out for the release of this FOA on WETO’s homepage.
Humans know more about space than about the Earth’s own oceans. There’s a lot of nuance behind this statement, but it’s clear that there’s mystery and uncertainty about oceans, despite immense gains in knowledge over the years.
This uncertainty has been evident for several years in how environmental advocacy groups and other stakeholders perceive the environmental risks associated with offshore wind energy development—but two DOE laboratories joined forces to shed light on these risks and provide recommendations for mitigating them.
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The wind doesn’t always blow where it’s needed—that’s a major challenge in fitting wind energy to the nation’s renewable energy needs. One 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 have teamed up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, as well as universities and private industry organizations, to improve weather forecasts.
After 21 years working in nuclear power and sonar research in the U.S. Navy, Kendra Ryan was ready for a change. In graduate school, Ryan chose to focus on potential impacts of offshore wind energy, and voilà—her transition to the world of the renewable energy field commenced. She soon went from a scholar who used NREL research in her studies, to the integrator of the lab’s research portfolio.
Next up for Ryan is a project involving the interaction of marine mammals and offshore wind turbines.
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Webinar: Jan. 12–17, 2024, Virtual
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with DOE, is hosting a series of meetings to facilitate conversations about the benefits and challenges of increased clean energy siting on agricultural land and in rural communities.
Conference: Feb. 5–7, 2023, Houston, TX
DOE will host a panel discussion moderated by Jocelyn Brown-Saracino, titled "Floating Offshore Wind Shot Priorities, Progress, and Next Steps." This panel, led by DOE’s Floating Offshore Wind Shot team, will showcase the significant achievements made in the first year of their initiative and how these accomplishments are helping to drive the deployment of floating offshore wind technology.
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