National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium Announces Projects Totaling $8 Million

Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy; March 29, 2021

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.

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