US Seeks More Offshore Wind Innovations

The US National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium has announced the availability of funding for additional offshore wind R&D topics.

The new funding is set aside for offshore wind plant technology advancement, which includes optimizing the performance of wind plants; reducing the costs of turbine support structures; developing innovative mooring and anchoring technologies for floating wind; and reducing the cost and risk associated with the transmission and distribution of electricity from offshore wind.

The topics also include offshore wind power resource and physical site characterization, which includes comprehensive wind resource assessment and the development of a metocean reference site; installation, operations & maintenance, and supply chain, which includes heavy lift vessel alternatives; offshore wind digitization through advanced analytics; and technology solutions to accelerate the US supply chain.

Proposals should focus on new solutions that remove barriers and address issues essential for cost reduction, deployment, and industry growth specific to offshore wind regions of the US.

The National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium, established by the Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), is still accepting applications for offshore wind plant technology advancement R&D funding, which was announced in March 2019.

The consortium seeks to develop and demonstrate technology innovations that will reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCoE) for offshore wind in the United States.