DOE to award $28M for wind energy projects

The U.S. Department of Energy announced last week that it will award up to $28.1 million in funding to advance wind energy research, development, and innovations.

The grants will be for land-based, offshore, and distributed wind projects. Utility-scale wind energy in the United States has grown to 90 gigawatts, but opportunities for cost reductions remain, especially in the areas of offshore wind, distributed wind, and tall wind.

“Wind power is an important part of America’s energy strategy,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said. “Research, development, and demonstration of innovative wind technologies can continue to drive down costs, and expand the success that we’ve seen in the land-based utility-scale wind sector to the emerging distributed wind and offshore wind sectors.”

Specifically, up to $6.1 million will be awarded for Wind Innovations for Rural Economic Development (WIRED), while $7 million will be awarded for utilizing and upgrading national-level facilities for offshore wind R&D. Further, $10 million will go towards project development for offshore wind technology demonstrations, while $5 million will be awarded for tall towers for U.S. wind power.

Concept papers for this funding opportunity are due by April 29. The full applications are then due by June 17. More information and application requirements can be found on the EERE Funding Opportunity Exchange website.