The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, which was established with funding from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has selected 15 new projects to receive a total of $8 million for offshore wind support structure innovation, U.S.-based supply chain development, electrical systems innovation, and solutions for impacts on wildlife and radar.
DOE established the National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium in 2018 to address research priorities for offshore wind as defined in the National Offshore Wind Strategy, which was developed jointly by DOE and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. DOE competitively selected the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to administer the Consortium, with DOE and NYSERDA each providing $20.5 million to fund high-impact research projects that lower the costs of U.S. offshore wind. State agencies in Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Maine have since joined, resulting in a total investment of around $47 million. The Consortium’s members include many of the major entities in the offshore wind industry.
The selections announced today include:
- Four projects to develop innovative support structures (including foundations and moorings) for very large fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind turbines to achieve economies of scale
- Three projects that propose innovative solutions to supply chain and installation challenges including spiral welded towers, a self-positioning blade installation tool, and unmanned aerial devices for inspections
- Five projects to support innovations in grid interconnection and transmission
- Three technology development projects to mitigate use conflicts, including wildlife monitoring and radar interference.
The full list of new projects and the technical challenge areas they aim to address is below. The 15 new projects bring the Consortium’s total funding portfolio to $28 million for 40 projects.
RFP 2 Round 2: Support Structure Innovation; Supply Chain Development
Challenge Area: Support Structure Solutions to Reduce Impact and Cost of Fixed and Floating Arrays
| Awardee | Project Title |
|---|---|
| Esteyco | Evolved Spar Concrete Substructure for Floating Offshore Wind U.S.-Based Design |
| DEME Offshore US LLC | Tri-Suction Pile Caisson Foundation Concept |
| Deep Reach Technology | Application of Novel Offshore Oil & Gas Platforms to Large Wind Turbines |
| PCCI, Inc. | Quarter Scale Testing of the Intelligent Mooring System for Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Platforms |
Challenge Area: U.S. Supply Chain Development Through Innovation
| Awardee | Project Title |
|---|---|
| Keystone Tower Systems | Tapered Spiral Welding for U.S. Offshore Wind Turbine Towers |
Challenge Area: Solutions to Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Challenges
| Awardee | Project Title |
|---|---|
| ULC Robotics | Unmanned Aircraft System to Transform Offshore Wind |
Challenge Area: Safety System Innovation
| Awardee | Project Title |
|---|---|
| GE Renewable Energy | Self-Positioning Single Blade Installation Tool |
RFP 2 Round 3: Electrical Systems and Innovation; Conflicting Use Mitigation
Challenge Area: Submarine Cable Innovations to Reduce Failures, Electrical Losses and Cost
| Awardee | Project Title |
|---|---|
| ThayerMahan | Transmission and Export Cable Fault Detection and Prevention Using Synthetic Aperture Sonar |
Challenge Area: Innovation in Transmission Hardware and Transmission Options to Reduce Interconnection Costs
| Awardee | Project Title |
|---|---|
| GE Research | DC Collection and Transmission for Offshore Wind Farms |
| Offshore Wind Consultants | Shared Landfall and Onshore Cable Infrastructure for Cable Colocation Feasibility Study |
Challenge Area: Innovation or Strategies to Mitigate Grid System Impacts
| Awardee | Project Title |
|---|---|
| Tufts University | Transmission Expansion Planning Models for Offshore Wind Energy |
| Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, operated by Battelle Memorial Institute | An Offshore Wind Energy Development Strategy to Maximize Electrical System Benefits in Southern Oregon and Northern California |
Challenge Area: Technology Solutions to Mitigate Use Conflicts
| Awardee | Project Title |
|---|---|
| Worley | Technology Development Priorities for Scientifically Robust and Operationally Compatible Wildlife Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| Cornell University | Right Wind: Resolving Protected Species Space-Use Conflicts in Wind Energy Areas |
| CODAR Ocean Sensors LTD | Oceanographic High-Frequency Radar Data Preservation in Wind Turbine Interference Mitigation |
For a list of previously announced projects, see the announcement from the Consortium’s first RFP, and from RFP 2 Round 1. For more information about the National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium, see nationaloffshorewind.org.
This announcement supports a goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of U.S. offshore wind by 2030.