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DOE OSTI2021

Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2021 Edition

The U.S. Department of Energy's 2021 edition of its land-based wind market report provides an overview of key trends in the U.S. wind power market, with a focus on 2020. You can find a report, data file and presentation on the Files tab, below. Additionally, several data visualizations are available on the Visualizations tab. Highlights of this year’s update include: -Wind comprises a growing share of electricity supply: U.S. wind power capacity grew at a record pace in 2020, with 25 billion dollars invested in 16.8 GW of capacity. Wind energy output rose to account for more than 8% of the entire nation’s electricity supply, and is more than 20% in 10 states. At least 209 GW of wind are seeking transmission interconnection; 61 GW of this capacity are offshore wind and 13 GW are hybrid plants that pair wind with storage or PV. -Wind project performance has increased over time: The average capacity factor among recently built projects was over 40%, considerably higher than projects built earlier. The highest capacity factors are seen in the interior ‘wind belt’ of the country. -Turbines continue to get larger: Improved plant performance has been driven by larger turbines mounted on taller towers and featuring longer blades. In 2010, no turbines employed blades that were 115 meters in diameter or larger, but in 2020, 91% of newly installed turbines featured such rotors. Proposed projects indicate that total turbine height will continue to rise. -Low wind turbine pricing has pushed down installed project costs over the last decade: Wind turbine prices are averaging 775–850 dollars/kW. The average installed cost of wind projects in 2020 was 1,460 dollars/kW, down more than 40% since the peak in 2010, though stable for the last three years. The lowest costs were found in Texas and the (non-ISO) West. -Wind energy prices remain low, around 20 dollars/MWh in the interior of the country: After topping out at 70 dollars/MWh for power purchase agreements (PPAs) executed in 2009, the national average price of wind PPAs has dropped. In the interior ‘wind belt’ of the country, recent pricing is around 20 dollars/MWh. In the West and East, prices tend to average 30 dollars/MWh or more. These prices, which are possible in part due to federal tax support, fall below the projected future fuel costs of gas-fired generation. -Wind PPA prices are often attractive compared to wind’s grid-system market value: The value of wind in wholesale power markets is affected by the location of wind plants, their hourly output profiles, and how those characteristics correlate with real-time electricity prices and capacity markets. The market value of wind declined in 2020, following natural gas prices lower and averaging under 15 dolalrs/MWh in ERCOT, MISO, NYISO and SPP; higher values were seen in CAISO, ISO-NE and PJM. -The average levelized cost of wind energy is down to 33 dollars/MWh: Levelized costs, which exclude the impacts of federal tax incentives, vary across time and geography, but the national average stood at 33 dollars/MWh in 2020—down substantially historically, though consistent with the previous two years. Levelized costs were lowest in ERCOT, SPP, and the (non-ISO) West. -The health and climate benefits of wind in 2020 were larger than its grid-system value, and the combination of all three far exceeds the current levelized cost of wind: Wind generation reduces power-sector emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. These reductions, in turn, provide public health and climate benefits that vary regionally, but together are economically valued at an average of 76 dollars/MWh-wind nationwide in 2020. -The domestic supply chain for wind equipment is diverse: For wind projects recently installed in the U.S., domestically manufactured content is highest for nacelle assembly (>85%), towers (60-75%), and blades and hubs (30-50%), but is much lower for most components internal to the nacelle.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2022 Edition

The U.S. Department of Energy's 2022 edition of its Land-Based Wind Market Report provides an overview of key trends in the U.S. wind power market, with a focus on 2021. You can find a report, data file and presentation on the Files tab, below. Additionally, several data visualizations are available on the Visualizations tab. Despite ongoing supply chain challenges, wind energy in 2021 continued to see strong growth, technology improvements, and low prices in the U.S. Key highlights include: Wind comprises a growing share of electricity supply: U.S. wind power capacity grew at a strong pace in 2021, with the 13.4 GW of new additions representing a $\$20$ billion investment and 32% of all newly added U.S. generation capacity. Wind energy output rose to account for more than 9% of the entire nation’s electricity supply. At least 247 GW of wind are seeking transmission interconnection; 77 GW of this capacity are offshore wind and 19 GW are hybrid plants that pair wind with storage or solar PV. Wind project performance has increased over the decades: The average capacity factor among recently built projects was nearly 40%, considerably higher than projects built earlier. The highest capacity factors are seen in the interior ‘wind belt’ of the country. Turbines continue to get larger: Improved plant performance has been driven by larger turbines mounted on taller towers and featuring longer blades. In 2011, no turbines employed blades that were 115 meters in diameter or larger, but in 2021, 89% of newly installed turbines featured such rotors. Proposed projects indicate that total turbine height will continue to rise. Low wind turbine pricing has pushed down installed project costs over the last decade: Wind turbine prices averaged $\$800$–$\$950$/kW in 2021, a 5% to 10% increase from the year prior but substantially lower than in 2010. The average installed cost of wind projects in 2021 was $\$1,500$/kW, down more than 40% since the peak in 2010, though relatively stable in recent years. The lowest costs were found in Texas and the (non-ISO) West. Wind energy prices are on the rise, but generally remain low, around $\$20$/MWh in the interior of the country with higher prices in the West and East. After topping out above $\$75$/MWh for power purchase agreements (PPAs) executed in 2009, the national average price of wind PPAs has dropped—though supply-chain pressures have resulted in increased prices in recent years. In the interior ‘wind belt’ of the country, recent pricing is around $\$20$/MWh. In the West and East, prices tend to average above $\$30$/MWh. These prices, which are possible in part due to federal tax support, fall below the projected future fuel costs of gas-fired generation. Wind PPA prices are often attractive compared to wind’s grid-system market value: The value of wind in wholesale power markets is affected by the location of wind plants, their hourly output profiles, and how those characteristics correlate with real-time electricity prices and capacity markets. The market value of wind increased in 2021, averaging $\$16$/MWh in MISO, $\$19$/MWh in SPP, $\$23$/MWh in NYISO, $\$31$/MWh in ERCOT, $\$33$/MWh in PJM, $\$44$/MWh in ISO-NE, and $\$48$/MWh in CAISO. The average levelized cost of wind energy was $\$32$/MWh for plants built in 2021: Levelized costs, which exclude the impacts of federal tax incentives, vary across time and geography. The national average stood at $\$32$/MWh in 2021—down substantially historically, though relatively stable in recent years. Levelized costs were lowest in ERCOT, SPP, and the (non-ISO) West. The health and climate benefits of wind in 2021 were larger than its grid-system value, and the combination of all three far exceeds the current levelized cost of wind: Wind generation reduces power-sector emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. These reductions, in turn, provide public health and climate benefits that vary regionally, but together are economically valued at an average of over $\$90$/MWh-wind for plants built in 2021.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Dynamic Modelling of HiveWind Floating Wind Substructure in OpenFAST

Current aero-elastic modes tend to consider the wind turbine floating substructures as rigid. However, the new generation of offshore wind platforms are leaner, less rigid. The OpenFAST code has been updated to consider the flexibility of the floating substructure. This presentation shows how a numerical model of the HiveWind design was created within OpenFAST as well as some verifications performed. When comparing the flexible model to a simplified rigid model (previous state-of-the-art), there are some significant differences in key performance indicators. The new flexibility capability within OpenFAST allows to calculate ultimate and fatigue loads within the floating substructure, allowing for the development of more economical designs.

ENGINEERING,WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Second-order wave excitation forces in WEC-Sim/MOST: Implementation, experimental validation, and code-to-code comparison

Accurate prediction of second-order hydrodynamic loads is essential for floating bodies, including floating offshore wind turbines, wave energy converters, and hybrid wind–wave platforms. These nonlinear effects, arising from both sum- and difference-frequency forcing, are critical for capturing key response characteristics but remain challenging to model efficiently. In this work, we extend the open-source Wave Energy Converter Simulator / MATLAB for Offshore Simulation Tool by implementing second-order wave excitation forces, supporting both the full Quadratic Transfer Function formulation and the Newman approximation. The full Quadratic Transfer Function method is used for all code-to-code comparisons and experimental validation, while the Newman approximation is provided as a computationally lighter alternative. To benchmark the new capability, we perform a code-to-code comparison with OpenFAST and OrcaFlex. We then validate the enhanced model using wave-tank measurements of a 1:96 scale DeepCwind semi-submersible, showing that second-order effects are required to reproduce platform motions. The implementation employs a computationally efficient pre-computation strategy for second-order wave excitation forces, reducing simulation cost while maintaining engineering accuracy. Overall, this work advances the tool as an open-source and versatile tool for modelling floating offshore renewable-energy systems requiring second-order hydrodynamic fidelity.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Dynamic performance of a passively self-adjusting floating wind farm layout to increase the annual energy production

One of the main differences between floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) and fixed-bottom turbines is the angular and translational motions of FOWTs. When it comes to planning a floating wind farm (FWF), the translational motions introduce an additional layer of complexity to the FWF layout. The ability of a FOWT to relocate its position represents an opportunity to mitigate wake losses within an FWF. By passively relocating downwind turbines out of the wake generated by upwind turbines, we can reduce wake-induced energy losses and enhance overall energy production. The translational movements of FOWTs are governed by the mooring system attached to it. The way a FOWT relocates its position changes if the design of the mooring system attached to it changes. Additionally, the translational motion of a FOWT attached to a given mooring system is different for different wind directions. Hence, we can tailor a mooring system design for a FOWT to passively control its motions according to the wind direction. In this work, we present a new self-adjusting FWF layout design and assess its performance using both static and dynamic methods. The results show that relocating the FOWTs in an FWF can increase the energy production by 3 % using a steady-state wake model and 1.4 % using a dynamic wake model at a wind speed of 10 m s -1 . Moreover, we compare the fatigue and ultimate loads of the mooring systems of the self-adjusting FWF layout design to the mooring systems in a current state-of-the-art FWF baseline design. The comparison shows that with smaller mooring system diameters, the self-adjusting FWF design has similar fatigue damage compared to the baseline design with bigger mooring system diameters at rated wind speed. Finally, the ultimate loads on the mooring systems of the self-adjusting FWF design are lower than those on the mooring systems of the baseline design.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Toolpath generation for automated wind turbine blade finishing operations

Incorporating automation into wind turbine blade manufacturing is important for reducing costs to meet current offshore wind energy production goals in the United States. This work proposes a process for automating three operations in wind blade manufacturing: trimming to remove flashing left over after bonding two blade skins together, grinding to produce a desired leading-edge shape, and sanding to prepare the blade for bonding overlamination or adding paint to the surface. The majority of this work focuses on the toolpath generation. The algorithms were tested on a 5-m blade section, and the results were analyzed in terms of operation speed and accuracy. Finally, future work is discussed to improve the performance of the system.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Evaluation of Use Cases and Types of Databases for Hosting Wind Power Data

The goal of the National Wind Power Production Data Dashboard project is to develop a publicly available platform to model, process, and share wind power with uncertainty quantification for the current and future onshore and offshore wind plants across the continental United States. As of 2021, more than 70,000 utility-scale wind turbines have been installed across the United States and this number is expected to grow in the next few years. A large-scale wind power production database is needed for stakeholders (policy makers, operators, and researchers) to access easily for their decision-making. Currently, meeting that need is a challenge. Most wind power operators and system operators focus on regions of their own interest, and the data are usually inaccessible to the public.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

AIS-based characterization of navigation conflicts along the US Atlantic Coast prior to development of wind energy

This study characterizes navigation conflicts in a region with a large traffic volume along the US Atlantic Coast, utilizing Automated Identification System (AIS) data for 2010. The region includes areas proposed for wind energy development. The characterization could be useful in evaluating the effect of offshore wind areas on navigation conflicts. The study processes the AIS data to provide pairwise comparisons of vessel interactions (encounters and near-misses) as they occurred. Using the vessel encounter data, analyses are made using a ‘blind’ vessel assumption to evaluate the potential for both near-misses and collisions. Then statistical analyses are made to estimate the point values and uncertainty for each type of encounter (crossing, head-on, overtaking). Examination of the frequency/number of collisions from actual observations is made. The examination of actual near-misses, potential near-misses, and potential collisions provides comparable results in the number of near-misses and collisions. The potential near-miss analyses include an examination of the timing of responses made by vessels to prevent near-misses. This informed the statistical analysis but may also have utility in the simulation of navigation conflicts.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Conflicts of Greens’ in Renewable Energy Landscapes: Case Studies and a Planning Framework

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) through renewable energy deployment is a goal for many cities and nations to mitigate the effects of a rapidly changing climate while securing energy needs. Given national and state level policies on green energy to achieve GHG reduction targets, localities are considering utility-scale renewable energy (USRE) facilities on remote lands, rural areas, oceans, coastal waters and large rivers to meet the energy needs for urban residents and industries. Although these USRE facilities generate much “greener” electricity than fossil fuel power plants, locating them can pose conflicts with wildlife, including endangered, threatened and/or special status species, and the habitats that support wildlife populations (Brunette et al., 2013; Gasparatos et al. 2016; Mulvaney 2017), which lead to a “Conflict of Greens” (Ko et al., 2011). In addition to ecological impacts, conflicts over social and cultural resources in local communities lead to concerns over environmental justice, in this context “energy justice,” where negative environmental, social, and economic impacts of energy projects fall more heavily upon marginalized, vulnerable, or indigenous communities. The Pacific Rim region is a center of major and growing economies, and it has become a battlefield for competing “green” objectives. In addition to progressive renewable energy goals, such as in California, Hawaii, and Taiwan, countries around the Pacific Rim have the majority of the growth in manufacturing of wind and solar energy devices and also some of the highest levels of renewables deployment with China, India, and the US leading the way in wind and solar installations. Developing renewable energy source in the ocean such as offshore wind, tidal, and wave energy, are beginning to add to this mix. Given this challenge, the APRU SCL energy working group provides six case studies that address questions about the “Conflict of Greens” across the Pacific Rim including South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States (California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts). The literature review highlights the emerging ecological, social, and economic aspects of conflicts over siting renewables on the landscape. Using case studies, we examine the trial and errors in least-conflict spatial planning, data collection and analysis, public participation in decision-making, mitigation, social planning for energy transitions, and multi-scalar approaches. Lastly, we recommend interdisciplinary policy, planning, and design actions for sustainable energy landscapes across the Pacific Rim and beyond.

green versus green, renewable energy↗

DOE OSTI2023

Developing a 20-year high-resolution wind data set for Puerto Rico

The purpose of this study is to develop a high-resolution wind resource data set for Puerto Rico as part of the wind resource assessment in the Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transition to 100 % Renewable Energy Study (PR100) project. The Weather and Research and Forecasting (WRF) is used to model 20-years (2001-2020) of wind resource data on a 3-km grid for the Puerto Rico region. Because accurately representing the planetary boundary layer (PBL)-physics in the WRF is key to accurately model low-level wind speed, 11 different PBL schemes are examined and evaluated to find a WRF configuration that can provide the most accurate wind data. The modeled wind speeds are validated with buoy observations, and the Shin-Hong PBL scheme is selected to generate the final wind data set. Here, the overall results demonstrate that the high-resolution data correctly represents the climate of Puerto Rico (e.g., a dominant easterly trade wind). At 160 m above ground, the southern regions of Puerto Rico show strong offshore wind speed (>8 m/s on average) throughout the daytime and nighttime. For land-based wind, average wind speed ranges from 5 m/s-7 m/s during daytime, whereas notable high wind speeds (>9 m/s) appear in the mountain regions during nighttime.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Integration of New Technology Considering the Trade-Offs Between Operational Benefits and Risks: A Case Study of Dynamic Line Rating

Electric grid operators are adept at handling complexity and uncertainty. However, with increasing introduction of renewable generation, distributed energy resources, and more frequent severe weather events, operators will experience new workload and challenging decision scenarios. Here, this paper quantifies risks and benefits from an operator's perspective of introducing weather based forecast Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR) using variable wind conditions in addition to ambient temperature to relieve transmission congestion and facilitating more offshore wind (OSW). A concept of operations (CONOPS) applied to a forecast DLR implementation and its integration with OSW is defined. A method for evaluating tradeoffs of derating to make the rating more conservative but decreasing the benefit was developed and applied to a case study for two existing overhead transmission lines on Long Island, New York. The CONOPS uses historical day-ahead and hour-ahead High Resolution Rapid Refresh weather forecasts and weather station data to support planning and real-time operations. The analysis determines the risk of downgrades in real-time operational rating compared to the forecast and quantifies the frequency and severity of last-minute downgrades. The risk is compared against the benefits in increased capacity to provide insights on the additional amount of uncertainty DLR and OSW will add to the operator's workload.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Radar Wind Profiler at McKinleyville, CA

These data are collected as part of an observational database developed to support the floating offshore wind energy research under the ORACLE project funded by DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO). The radar wind profiler network data are collected by NOAA (https://psl.noaa.gov/data/obs/datadisplay), and only data within the state of California are part of the database.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Radar Wind Profiler at Bodega Bay

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Radar Wind Profiler at Point Sur

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Radar Wind Profiler at Santa Barbara

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Radar Wind Profiler at San Nicolas Island

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

2019 Cost of Wind Energy Review

This report uses representative utility-scale and distributed wind energy projects to estimate the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for land-based and offshore wind power plants in the United States. Data and results detailed here are derived from 2019 commissioned plants and representative industry data as well as state-of-the-art modeling capabilities. Modeling is conducted to provide more granular detail on specific cost categories. This report represents the ninth annual installment and is intended to provide insight into current component-level costs as well as a basis for understanding variability in wind energy LCOE across the country.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

2022 Cost of Wind Energy Review [Slides]

The 12th annual Cost of Wind Energy Review, now presented in slide deck format, uses representative utility-scale and distributed wind energy projects to estimate the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for land-based and offshore wind power plants in the United States.

17 WIND ENERGY↗