The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) today announced it plans to award $2.9 million to 11 manufacturers of small- and medium-scale wind turbines. These awards will support technology innovation and mitigate market and regulatory barriers to deployment of Contact online >>
The U.S. Department of Energy''s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) today announced it plans to award $2.9 million to 11 manufacturers of small- and medium-scale wind turbines. These awards will support technology innovation and mitigate market and regulatory barriers to deployment of distributed wind turbines for use by homeowners, farmers, businesses, and others under DOE''s Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP).
"Competitiveness Improvement Project awards are helping small- and medium-scale wind turbines become a realistic option for rural residents and businesses alike," said Alejandro Moreno, the acting assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy. "By driving down costs and improving technology, these projects can help create more resilient communities and support the Biden administration''s goals of reaching 100% clean electricity by 2035 and a net-zero emissions economy by 2050."
Managed by NREL on behalf of DOE''s Wind Energy Technologies Office, CIP awards cost-shared subcontracts and technical support to manufacturers of small- and medium-sized wind turbines. These awards help manufacturers of wind turbines with less than one megawatt in capacity to:
Once the 2022–2023 contracts are finalized, NREL will have awarded 64 subcontracts to 26 companies, totaling $15.4 million in DOE funding while leveraging $7.9 million in additional private-sector investment since CIP began in 2012. The project has helped to significantly drive down costs for distributed wind energy, including helping Bergey Windpower Company double the amount of energy produced by its Excel 15 wind turbine and cut its levelized cost of energy in half via awards over several years.
In February 2024, NREL issued the 2024 Competitiveness Improvement Project funding solicitation, which is designed to support wind energy technology manufacturers like Bergey Windpower. Project funding helped Bergey develop its Excel 15 wind turbine, shown here, which was recently installed as part of a new distributed wind energy research capability at NREL''s Flatirons Campus. Photo by Josh Bauer and Brian Bechtold, NREL
The U.S. Department of Energy''s (DOE''s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) under the Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) to support commercialization and market expansion of small and medium wind turbine technology.
New in 2024 is a focus on commercialization plans and business models that support cost savings and revenue generation for rural small businesses and farmers in support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and DOE''s new Rural and Agricultural Income & Savings from Renewable Energy (RAISE) Initiative. Proposals will be accepted through 2 p.m. MT on March 27, 2024.
Managed by NREL on behalf of DOE''s Wind Energy Technologies Office, CIP awards cost-shared subcontracts and national laboratory technical support to U.S. component suppliers and manufacturers of small- and medium-sized wind turbines.
Advancing small and medium wind energy systems to commercialization is technically challenging and resource intensive for small businesses, which often lack the capacity to develop, certify, and commercialize their technologies.
Take Windward Engineering, for example. This small company based in Spanish Fork, Utah, has received two CIP awards. The first award helped Windward Engineering develop the design of its 60-kilowatt Zephyr 21/60 wind turbine. In 2022, a CIP award made it possible for the company to perform prototype testing of the Zephyr turbine in preparation for certification and entry into the distributed wind market.
"Prototype testing is costly and challenging for small businesses," said Dean Davis, president of Windward Engineering. "The support of the CIP program is crucial to thoroughly test the Zephyr 21/60''s new full-span pitch system for function, performance, and load reduction as we move toward production."
"CIP funding in 2024 responds to what the distributed wind market needs—distributed wind energy components and turbines that are tested, certified, and commercialized," said Brent Summerville, NREL distributed wind energy researcher and CIP program lead. "We''re helping companies get across the finish line to deployment, which supports national clean energy goals and benefits rural communities."
CIP has also added a new topic area for 2024—Inverter Listing. Previously embedded in the Small Wind Certification topic area, inverters will now have a standalone topic area that provides a clearer path to address the urgent need for inverters built specifically for distributed wind turbines and that have achieved listing to U.S. inverter standards and requirements.
In response to feedback provided by industry members during workshops held in 2023, NREL offered potential CIP applicants the opportunity to submit concept papers detailing their ideas prior to the RFP release.
"Concept papers enabled NREL to provide prompt feedback to applicants on their ideas," Summerville said. "This step not only gives NREL a way to provide feedback to potential applicants, but also gives us insight into what industry is thinking."
The 2024 RFP includes cost-share requirements, and proposals must provide evidence of technical readiness, incorporation in the United States, strong team skills and capabilities, and financial information. Work funded under this effort is expected to take place in the United States and/or U.S. territories unless otherwise justified.
In addition to typical merit criteria that score CIP proposals on technical approach, readiness, market impact, and project team, applicants will complete a diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) assessment. This will help NREL evaluate applicants'' commitment to DEIA principles, including their understanding, track record, and concrete plans for advancing DEIA within their organization.
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