Funding Notice: Nearly $50 Million Funding Opportunity for Offshore Wind National and Regional Research and Development – CleanTechnica

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Office: Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO)
FOA Number: DE-FOA-0003334
Link to Apply: Apply on EERE Exchange

FOA Amount: $48.6 million

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) announced the Offshore Wind National and Regional Research and Development Funding Opportunity, which will award $48.6 million for projects that address several major areas of need for offshore wind. The areas include accelerating research and development of floating offshore wind platforms; exploring innovations for fixed-bottom foundations; improving offshore wildlife protection through new monitoring technologies; expanding the reach of the domestic supply chain; advancing U.S. academic leadership in floating offshore wind; and investigating solutions to protect future infrastructure from lightning.

This funding opportunity represents one of DOE’s single largest investments in offshore wind, comprised of $48 million in funding from WETO with $600,000 in funding support from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

Together, successful projects addressing the following topic areas under this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will speed up the use of wind power off U.S. coasts and contribute to a robust clean energy economy driven by a carbon-free power sector.

Topic Area 1: Floating Offshore Wind Platform Research and Development ($20 million)

This Topic Area aims to improve floating offshore wind systems through innovation. Projects awarded under the subtopics may focus on near-term needs for initial U.S. floating offshore wind projects, as well as long-term goals to reduce costs and increase efficiency in various aspects like validation, fabrication, installation, and operation. Subtopics may include:

Subtopic 1a: Refinement and Innovation in Floating Platform Design, Manufacturing, and Deployment

This Subtopic aims to conduct research and development to improve manufacturing and deployment of floating offshore wind systems.

Subtopic 1b: Next-Generation Integrated Turbine/Platform Research

This Subtopic aims to assess integrated design opportunities and key operating dynamics between the floating offshore wind turbine, tower, platform, and mooring system.

Topic Area 2: Innovation for Fixed-Bottom Offshore Wind Foundation Types and Supporting Infrastructure ($7.5 million)

This Topic Area aims to increase the industry adoption of novel designs and methodologies for fixed-bottom systems to enable increased manufacturing throughput and broader deployment of offshore wind, including ways to address current areas of concern and limitation.

Topic Area 3: Technology Advancement to Inform Risk to Birds and Bats from Offshore Wind Energy ($8 million)

This Topic Area aims to advance technologies to monitor bird and bat presence and behavior to better understand the risk to species from offshore wind deployment.

Topic Area 4: Development of a Manufacturing and Supply Chain Offshore Wind Consortium in Great Lakes Region ($5 million)

This Topic Area aims to leverage the strengths of the existing industrial base in the Great Lakes region to engage with the national and global offshore wind market by addressing the immediate needs of the domestic offshore wind pipeline through manufacturing, technology innovation, and workforce development.

Topic Area 5: Floating Offshore Wind Center of Excellence ($3.8 million)

This Topic Area, co-funded by DOE and BSEE, aims to seed a university-based education and research ecosystem to support the technical needs of the U.S. floating offshore wind industry and other stakeholders and develop the country’s next generation of leadership for the industry.

Topic Area 6: Protecting the Future Offshore Wind Fleet against Lightning ($4.3 million)

This Topic Area, co-funded by DOE and BSEE, aims to develop a robust understanding of the interaction between wind turbines and lightning within offshore wind farms.

Applicants and Teaming

Who can apply?

DOE and agency partners seek diverse applicant teams and this FOA seeks to encourage the participation of underserved communities and underrepresented groups. Applicants are highly encouraged to include individuals from groups historically underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math on their project teams. See the full FOA for specific eligibility requirements.

Join the Teaming Partner List

DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is compiling a “Teaming Partner List” to facilitate the formation of project teams for this FOA. The Teaming Partner List allows organizations that may wish to participate on a project to express their interest to other applicants and to explore potential partnerships.

View and submit a request to join the Teaming Partner List on EERE eXCHANGE. The Teaming Partner List will be regularly updated to reflect new teaming partners who provide their organization’s information.

Key Dates

Additional Information

Courtesy of Department of Energy