The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released annual market reports documenting data and trends in wind installations, technologies, costs, prices, and performance through the end of 2018 for three sectors: utility-scale land-based, offshore, and distributed wind. “Onshore wind energy installation continues to grow across the country, and this Administration has proven that we can…
Advancing wind-turbine technology & drivetrains
The Department of Energy (DOE) is funding four projects to develop high-efficiency, lightweight wind turbine generators, all of which are developing direct-drive technologies. Two of these generators are “superconducting” and do not use permanent magnets or rare earth materials. Regardless of whether it’s direct drive or geared, these components are massive (200–320 tons for a…
U.S. joins international C3E initiative, supporting women in the clean energy workforce
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has signed onto the International Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Technology Collaboration Program under the International Energy Agency (IEA). “Progress toward a clean energy future can only become a reality through inclusion of all talented human beings,” said Under Secretary Mark W. Menezes. “At the U.S. Department of…
House Committee releases 2020 Energy & Water Development Funding Bill
The House Appropriations Committee has released the draft fiscal year 2020 Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee today, Wednesday, May 15, 2019. The legislation funds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of the Interior programs, the Department of Energy, and other related agencies. In total,…
DOE grants funds for domestic manufacturing R&D — including energy storage
Energy Secretary Rick Perry has announced $89 million to support innovative, advanced manufacturing research and development projects. This Department of Energy (DOE) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) tackles key Departmental priorities — such as domestic manufacturing for energy storage. “Embracing new technologies that drive innovation in American manufacturing is the key to creating real-world progress that…
DOE picks four companies to advance tall wind & offshore wind applications
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected four projects totaling up to $8 million to develop next-generation wind turbine drivetrain technologies that will facilitate the continued growth of turbines for land-based tall wind and offshore applications. The aim, according to the DOE, is to develop more efficient, smaller, and lighter-weight generators that will lower…
National Offshore Wind Consortium seeks R&D proposals
The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (Consortium) has announced up to $7 million in funding for its first comprehensive solicitation for offshore wind technology projects as called for in the Consortium’s R&D Roadmap. The announcement marks an important step in advancing the long-term strategy for identifying innovative technology to further drive down costs…
DOE announces $28 million for wind energy research
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $28.1 million in funding aimed at advancing wind energy nationwide across the land-based, offshore, and distributed wind sectors. While utility-scale wind energy in the United States has grown to 90 GW, significant opportunities for cost reductions remain, particularly in the areas of offshore wind, distributed…
DOE awards $6 million in wind energy research projects
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected nine projects totaling $6.2 million that will reduce environmental compliance costs and environmental impacts of land-based and offshore wind energy. Funded by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, these early-stage research projects are key to development of wind energy as part…
DOE selects 2020 Collegiate Wind Competition participants
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the 12 collegiate teams selected to participate in the 2020 Collegiate Wind Competition. Three new schools have been selected along with nine returning teams from previous competitions. The colleges and universities selected to participate in the Collegiate Wind Competition 2020 are: California State University, Chico California State University Maritime Academy James…
Rhode Island’s clean energy industry grows by 72% since 2014
In 2017, Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo announced a goal of 20,000 total clean energy jobs by 2020, and the state is well on its way toward achieving that milestone, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). In August 2018, the Rhode Island Office of Energy…
DOE to fund cybersecurity for new Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced their intent to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute: Cybersecurity in Energy Efficient Manufacturing.” This FOA establishes a new Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute (referred to as the “Institute”) to develop technologies that will…
DOE to offer up to $28 million in funding for offshore wind R&D
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $28 million in funding for a new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program, Aerodynamic Turbines, Lighter and Afloat, with Nautical Technologies and Integrated Servo-control (ATLANTIS). The program will develop new technologies for floating, offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) using the discipline of control co-design (CCD). “The United States…
DOE launches grid-optimization software competition
U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced the launch of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) first-ever Grid Optimization (GO) Competition. The GO Competition, created by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), is a series of challenges to develop software management solutions for a reliable, resilient and secure American electricity grid. Today’s grid software was designed for…
DOE reports distributed wind has surpassed 1 GW
U.S. distributed wind market surpassed the 1 GW milestone with 81,000 turbines generating power across 50 states, according to the 2017 Distributed Wind Market Report released today by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. In 2017, 21 states added 83.7 MW of new distributed wind capacity. Iowa leads…
PNNL publishes data on 2017 distributed wind energy
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) issued its annual report on distributed wind capacity that shows larger installations of distributed wind power almost doubled in 2017. Distributed wind power is very localized, meaning that the power is generated near where it will be used, instead of originating in remote commercial wind farms and…
DOE Wind Market Reports shows strong industry growth and lower costs
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released three wind energy market reports demonstrating that as wind installations continue across the country and offshore wind projects move beyond the planning process, technology costs, and wind energy prices continue to fall. The reports cover three market sectors: land-based utility scale, distributed, and offshore wind. Highlights from this…
DOE to fund tribal community wind & solar projects
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced nearly $9 million in funding for 15 tribal energy infrastructure projects. This funding through the DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs will help Native American and Alaska Native communities harness their vast undeveloped energy resources to reduce or stabilize energy costs, as well as increase energy…
DOE acquires new high-performance computing system for R&D
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced that it has selected its next high-performance computing (HPC) system, which will be used to advance early-stage R&D on energy technologies spanning multiple DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) programs. “NREL’s new high-performance computing system pushes the frontiers of science…
DOE seeking input on offshore wind R&D and test facilities
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public input on existing capabilities and needs of national-level offshore wind research and development (R&D) test facilities. This RFI will allow industry and the public to provide knowledge and recommendations to DOE for the development of offshore wind facilities – increasing the…