According to DOE Secretary, Rick Perry, the consortium will be a cooperative, private-public innovation hub addressing topics such as wind technology advancement, resource and physical site characterization, installation, operations and maintenance, and supply-chain technology solutions.
An additional $2.0 million is being made available for research at DOE’s national laboratories in support of the consortium. Under the competitive funding opportunity announcement, the DOE will select an administrator to coordinate the collaborative R&D activities conducted by the consortium.
“As the former Governor of one of the largest wind-producing states, I know the value of wind power in our energy portfolio,” said Secretary Perry. “This work will further DOE’s goal to accelerate the development of offshore wind technologies by supporting fundamental research to reduce the costs of offshore wind energy to successfully compete in regional energy markets.”
Capitalizing on success of U.S. offshore wind projects
The U.S. wants to capitalize on the momentum in the nascent offshore wind market, with the nation’s first commercial offshore wind project, the Block Island Wind Farm, as well as others under construction or soon to become reality. Perry was referring to Rhode Island’s Block Island Offshore Wind Farm.
The $300 million wind farm consists of five massive wind turbines 3.8 miles off the coast of Block Island on the Atlantic Coast. The turbines provide power to the 17,000 homes on the island. The wind farm is also expected to reduce electricity costs on the island by 40 percent while creating 300 jobs. The wind farm went online one year ago today.
According to Renewables Now, an informational webinar is scheduled for December 20. The deadline for applications in the FOA is March 26, 2018.
