U.S. Department of Energy | Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation

Fall 2024 Wind R&D Newsletter: Get a Wind of This 🌬️

DOE Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation sent this bulletin at 10/21/2024 12:50 PM EDT

October 21, 2024

In this Issue

The Fall 2024 edition of the Wind Research and Development (R&D) Newsletter highlights efforts by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national labs and industry partners that are helping the United States reach our clean energy goals.

Letter from the Wind Energy Technologies Office Director
Current Research and Development
WETO's Contributions to Wind Energy
DOE News
Funding News
Featured Publications

Letter from the Wind Energy Technologies Office Director

It’s been one year since I began my time as director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), and I’m so proud of the tremendous progress that has been made in the last 12 months. One thing we’ve been working on since I started is a refreshed vision and mission for our office. Looking ahead to the diverse clean energy system of the future, we know that our work must be focused on making wind energy more accessible, sustainable, and secure. Further, we have to be increasingly cognizant of the importance of returning meaningful value to the electricity grid and economic development for the American people.

Read the letter.

Current Research and Development

Turbines in Harmony: Optimizing Wind Energy To Boost Electricity Output

Two recent projects funded by DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office are helping industry expand wind power capacity. The American WAKE experimeNt (AWAKEN) is compiling the world’s largest and most comprehensive dataset on wind energy atmospheric phenomena, detailing how wind and surrounding air particles interact with wind turbines and wind.

Happy Buoy-versary! Celebrating 10 Years of the Lidar Buoy Program

The Lidar Buoy Program celebrates a decade of success playing a pivotal role in advancing offshore wind energy development. Managed by DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on behalf of WETO, these buoys provide critical data to support major wind energy initiatives

Transmission Interconnection Roadmap Offers a Plan to Clear Queues for Clean Energy Projects

DOE released a new roadmap outlining solutions to speed up the interconnection of clean energy onto the nation’s transmission grid and clear the existing backlog of solar, wind, and battery projects seeking to be built.

Meet the WETO Researcher - Alicia Mahon Whose Passion for Science—and the Beach —Led Her to a Career in Ocean-Based Renewable Energy

As a kid growing up in New Jersey, Alicia Mahon’s favorite place was the beach. It instilled in her a love for the environment—along with a strong urge to protect it. Mahon is now putting her passion for the beach—and her Ph.D. in coastal and ocean engineering—to good use as the Operational Systems Engineering Group Leader and Wind Energy Program Manager at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

WETO's Contributions to Wind Energy

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 how DOE teamed up with NASA to pioneer the modern U.S. wind industry, how an international collaboration led to invaluable wind industry standards, and how investing in blade and drivetrain testing facilities since the 1990s provided crucial knowledge to the ongoing expansion of commercial wind power.

An early, simple wind turbine with just two blades.

DOE News

The following is a curated list of wind energy news stories from DOE.

Energy Ready Program Launches to Accelerate Local Clean Energy Deployment

Newly integrated program supported by DOE will help local governments expand distributed solar and wind energy, as well as electric vehicle charging.

Thirty-Five Teams Qualify for 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition

During the first half of the 2024–2025 school year, 35 teams are participating in the 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition to design floating offshore wind energy technology.

Annual Reports Present America’s Growing Wind Energy Future

Three reports highlight industry development, expansion, and the policies and incentives driving wind energy forward.

Small-Scale Distributed Wind Projects Could Leave a Large Impact

With three recently installed small wind turbines at the Flatirons Campus in Colorado, WETO is poised to take the next step in proving and improving the next generation of distributed wind technologies.

How Do Wind Turbines Survive Severe Weather and Storms?

Wind turbines need to protect themselves just as communities do during severe weather events and storms. Find out how wind turbines survive severe storms, like hurricanes and tornadoes, and how you can stay safe.

New Study finds Widespread Employment Benefits from Wind Energy

The study finds a significant increase in employment rates and income within 20 miles of operating wind projects.

Funding News

The following is a curated list of announcements related to DOE wind energy funding opportunities.

Funding Selections: Installation Noise Reduction and Reliable Moorings for Offshore Wind and Marine Energy

DOE and the Department of the Interior announced the selection of 14 projects totaling nearly $17M to further support durable and environmentally responsible U.S. offshore wind and marine energy deployments.

Opportunity Notice: C2C Accepting Applications to Expand Capacity for Distributed Wind in Rural and Agricultural Communities

DOE’s Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program is accepting applications for a new round of peer-learning cohorts.

Funding Selections: Nearly $2 Million Available to Support U.S. Offshore Wind Workforce Programs

WETO announced $1.9M to support offshore workforce training programs to promote good-paying jobs in a fast-growing sector in communities across the country.

Notice of Intent: $20 Million to Improve the Recycling of Wind Energy Technologies

WETO plans to invest $20M to help address technological and supply chain challenges limiting recycling of fiber-reinforced composites and rare earth element magnets in wind turbines and improve the sustainability of wind energy technologies.

Funding Selections: $4.2 Million for U.S.-Danish Floating Offshore Wind Energy Mooring and Anchoring Research and Development

This funding opportunity will advance floating offshore wind energy systems toward cost-effective commercialization and wide-scale deployment in both the United States and Denmark.

Prize Winners: U.S. Department of Energy Awards $3.6 Million in Final Phase of Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize

Six teams were selected for creating cost-effective recycling technologies that will increase the sustainability of U.S. wind energy systems.

Funding Selections: WETO Selects Six Small Businesses for Small Business Research and Development Grants

WETO announced funding—including funds from the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—for six small businesses working to accelerate wind energy Research and Development.

Funding Selections: DOE Announces Nearly $50 Million Funding Opportunity to Accelerate Offshore Wind RD&D Across the United States

WETO announced the Offshore Wind National and Regional Research and Development funding opportunity, which will award up to $48.6 million for projects that address several major areas of need for offshore wind.

Funding Selections: Twelve American Companies Will Help Expand Distributed Wind Across the Rural United States

NREL selected 12 American suppliers and manufacturers to receive $3.15M to advance distributed wind turbine technology through testing and commercialization.

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.

Explore previous editions of the R&D Newsletter or browse wind energy news by topic:

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