Evaluating the economic return to public wind energy research and development in the United States
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17 WIND ENERGY↗
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Understanding Costs Associated with Wind Energy Opposition and Stakeholder Engagement
Wind energy social science research historically focused on the social acceptance of wind energy development. Research in this field is robust, and scholars have identified drivers influencing attitudes and acceptance. The criteria defining the opposition of wind energy, and their costs, although related, are less well understood. This gap in research includes the costs of delayed and failed projects to communities and developers. The International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Task 28 - The Social Science of Wind Energy Acceptance outlined a work package to help answer that question. The first deliverable for IEA Wind Task 28, Work Package 2, was an annotated bibliography that identified key pieces of literature that quantify the costs of opposition to wind projects. Although there is a robust wind social acceptance literature, our efforts highlighted that there has been little research directly quantifying the cost of opposition, engagement, delays, and failures. To directly summarize the appropriate literature and provide context for potential future work, the literature review ranged from directly relevant articles to works providing context and valuable information for our research objective in the future. This associated deliverable, a briefing document summarizing the outcomes of our literature search, is meant to guide future research on opposition to wind energy for IEA Task 28 and beyond.
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WETO Software Stack Best Practices
Wind energy researchers typically share one key characteristic: a passion for increasing wind energy in the global energy mix. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports this mission in a number of ways including allocating funding directly to various aspects of wind energy research through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) via the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO). While the traditional output of research is academic publication, software development efforts are increasingly a major focus. Software tools in the research environment allow researchers to describe an idea and quickly increase the scope and scale as they study it further. As a product of research, these tools represent a direct pipeline from researcher to industry practitioners since they are the implementation of ideas described in academic publications. Given this vital role in wind energy research and commercial development, the broad research software portfolio supported by WETO must maintain a minimum level of quality to support the wind energy field in the growing transition to renewable energy. This report outlines a series o f best practices to be adopted by all WETO-supported software projects, as well as expectations that the communities interacting with these projects should have of the developers and tools themselves. Wind energy research software has a unique standing in the field of scientific software. The stakeholders are varied with a subset being: (1) DOE EERE leadership, (2) DOE WETO leadership and program managers, (3) National lab leadership, (4) Associated project principle investigators, (5) Research software engineers, (6) Wind energy researchers in academia (including graduate students, post docs, and national lab staff), (7) Industry researchers and practitioners, (8) Commercial software developers, and (9) The general public interested in wind energy. These software are typically the end-user of other generic software libraries, so the funding cycles are often tied to applied research rather than the development of the software itself. Since the developers are also wind energy researchers, these tools are typically designed in a way that closely resembles the application in which they're used. Additionally, the expertise and incentives for the developers have a high variability, and often neither are aligned with software engineering or computer science. Given the unique environment in which wind energy research software is produced and consumed, it is critical for model owners to understand the context of their software. A framework for developing this understanding is to answer the following questions of a given software project: What is it's purpose? What is its role in the field of wind energy? What is the profile of the expected users? For how long will it be relevant? What is the expected impact? These questions allow model owners to identify the appropriate methods for the design, development, and long term maintenance of their software. Additionally, the answer provide context for future planners to understand why particular decisions were made and discern the consequences of changing course. The information is aggregated from experience within WETO-supported software development groups as well as external organizations and efforts to define the craft of research software engineering. These best practices aim to make the collaborative development process efficient and effective while improving the model understanding across stakeholders. Additionally, the general adoption of a common framework for software quality ensures that the end users of WETO software can trust these tools and accurately understand the risks to workflow integration.
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Early operation experience on the ERDA/NASA 100 kW wind turbine
As part of the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) wind energy program, NASA Lewis Research Center is testing an experimental 100-kW wind turbine. Rotor blade and drive shaft loads and tower deflection were measured during operation of the wind turbine at rated rpm. The blade loads measured are higher than anticipated. Preliminary results indicate that air flow blockage by the tower structure probably caused the high rotor blade bending moments.
Glasgow, J. C.↗
Grand Challenges in the Science of Wind Energy
The energy system of the future that depends on 80% or more renewable energy will put new demands on the wind systems that support it. There are significant areas of scientific uncertainly that need to be addressed to enable the innovation required for success. This presentation, based on a 2019 article in Science, lays out those areas of scientific challenges and proposes an integrated wind energy discipline that encompasses the needed research.
49 EE - Wind and Water Power Program - Wind (EE-4W↗
The Atmospheric Grand Challenges in the Science of Wind Energy
Harvested by advanced technical systems honed over decades of research and development, wind energy has become a mainstream energy resource. However, continued innovation is needed to realize the potential of wind to serve the global demand for clean energy. Here, we outline three interdependent, cross-disciplinary grand challenges underpinning this research endeavor. The first is the need for a deeper understanding of the physics of atmospheric flow in the critical zone of plant operation. The second involves science and engineering of the largest dynamic, rotating machines in the world. The third encompasses optimization and control of fleets of wind plants working synergistically within the electricity grid. Addressing these challenges could enable wind power to provide as much as half of our global electricity needs and perhaps beyond.
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Fabrication and assembly of the ERDA/NASA 100 kilowatt experimental wind turbine
As part of the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) wind-energy program, NASA Lewis Research Center has designed and built an experimental 100-kW wind turbine. The two-bladed turbines drives a synchronous alternator that generates its maximum output of 100 kW of electrical power in a 29-km/hr (18-mph) wind. The design and assembly of the wind turbine were performed at Lewis from components that were procured from industry. The machine was installed atop the tower on September 3, 1975.
Puthoff, R. L.↗
Spring 2021 Wind R&D Newsletter
The biannual U.S. Department of Energy Wind Research and Development Newsletter provides recent news about the DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office's R&D projects, news, accomplishments, and recent publications.
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Wind Energy Accomplishments and Year-End Performance Report: Fiscal Year 2023
As the United States' largest source of renewable energy, wind is already playing a vital role in the nation's shift to electricity generated from sustainable resources. Scientists, engineers, and analysts at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are propelling our country closer to this clean energy future with new efficient, reliable, and cost-competitive wind technologies and deployment strategies. In Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 2023), NREL received national acclaim for recent wind technology breakthroughs, applauded sustained decades of progress in wind energy research, and heralded new initiatives to support the next generation of wind development. This report and NREL's achievements of the last year set the stage for innovative research to come. Two NREL software innovations used to assess wind technology options were recognized with R&D 100 Awards. The Renewable Energy Potential (reV) model helps planners, developers, and researchers calculate wind energy capacity, generation, and cost for specific facilities, fleets and scenarios. NREL's Simulation and Emulation for Advanced Systems validates transmission and distribution solutions to minimize implementation risks. Both of these tools can be applied to a range of renewable solutions to cut costs and improve the reliability of systems in even the most remote locations. The laboratory commemorated landmark anniversaries for wind energy research facilities and programs managed by NREL. The National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) celebrated 30 years as a world-class hub for renewable energy research. An important component of the NWTC on NREL's Flatirons Campus, the one-of-a-kind 7-megawatt (MW) Controllable Grid Interface wind energy research apparatus, turned 10 this year. The Collegiate Wind Competition completed its tenth annual competition in May 2023. Six years after the grand challenges in wind energy science were first compiled, NREL brought together more than 100 wind energy experts from 15 countries to revisit the field's most pressing research needs. Other key new research initiatives examined ways to simultaneously address the needs for skilled wind energy workers and equitable job opportunities. NREL released the first national-level report evaluating offshore wind industry workforce gaps and ways to build a large, diverse pool of job candidates. The lab also co-hosted the International Partnering Forum's Offshore Wind Workforce Summit as part of its ongoing efforts to address the special challenges of that industry sector. NREL research and development (R&D) for the DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) continues to build momentum in its efforts to combat climate change, create clean energy jobs, and promote energy justice. This report provides more detail on these top achievements and other accomplishments made by NREL and its partners during FY 2023 (between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023).
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Center for Wind Energy
The purpose was to establish the physical infrastructure and additional measurement equipment for a center focused on wind energy research, education, technology development and community outreach. The Center is located on the Richardson campus of UTD. The Center for Wind Energy will bring together university, civic and industry partners to create and test new technologies to realize the potential of wind to support the energy needs of the nation.
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Tackling Grand Challenges in Wind Energy through a Socio-Technical Perspective
Wind power has an important role to play in tackling climate change. Key challenges in wind energy science and innovation must be overcome to increase the penetration and capability of this technology. However, the success of these efforts heavily depends on how society engages with the development of wind power infrastructure. Consequently, grand challenges exist in both technical and social domains, yet little research has made substantial efforts in connecting them. Here we review the social science and humanities literature on wind energy to illustrate the social dimensions of previously identified technical challenges. We suggest that a socio-technical lens enables an interdisciplinary approach to overcome the prevalent tendency of silo thinking in wind energy research and use it to explore socio-technical grand challenges related to the design, planning, development, operational and end-of-life phases of wind energy. Finally, we provide an outlook for research, practice and innovation, including an interdisciplinary and socio-technical research agenda for wind energy science, renewable energy developments and science policy in general.
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Simulating Marine Stratocumulus Clouds using Lagrangian Superdroplet Method in ERF
This study investigates the simulation of marine stratocumulus (stratoCu) clouds – common in many offshore and coastal wind energy regions - using Lagrangian Superdroplet Method (SDM) implemented in Energy Research and Forecasting (ERF) model. Developed by the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), ERF is a high-resolution atmospheric modeling tool that relies on traditional bulk microphysics schemes. Under an LLNL-led Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project, SDM was integrated into ERF to improve cloud process fidelity by explicitly tracking individual “superdroplets”. This enables a realistic representation of the droplet size spectrum, cloud-atmosphere interactions, and potential feedbacks from wind plants on atmospheric flow and cloud structure.
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Assess Floating Offshore Wind Energy Costs and Performance - FLOWIN Voucher: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-23-23792
In support of the FLOWIN Phase One Winner Voucher Utilization, NREL will assist with assessing floating offshore wind energy installation logistics and costs for several sites using the floating substructure design developed by the University of Maine. This will help inform understanding of floating offshore wind energy technology cost drivers.
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Wind R&D Newsletter, Fall 2019
Biannual U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Research and Development (R&D) Newsletter providing recent news about the DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office's R&D projects, accomplishments, upcoming events, and recent publications.
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Spring 2020 Wind R&D Newsletter
The biannual U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Research and Development (R&D) Newsletter provides recent news about DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) R&D projects, news, and accomplishments.
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Fall 2020 Wind R&D Newsletter
The biannual U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Research and Development (R&D) Newsletter provides recent news about DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) R&D projects, news, and accomplishments.
wind, R&D, fall, projects, accomplishments, events↗
Wind Energy Accomplishments & Midyear Performance Report: Fiscal Year 2022
2022 marks 43 years of innovation through the National Wind Technology Center at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Flatirons Campus. Scientists, engineers, analysts, and researchers continue to build on NREL's legacy of innovation at this world-class hub for wind energy technology research and development. Today, the nation's goals to tackle climate change and revitalize the U.S. economy through increased investment in clean energy - particularly in land-based, offshore, and distributed wind energy - are more ambitious than ever. From advancing wind energy science, technologies, and materials to demonstrating thought leadership on a worldwide scale, NREL's Wind Energy Program played a powerful role in maximizing the impact of wind energy in the first half of Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. NREL's technical expertise, research capabilities, and industry understanding continued to support DOE's efforts to champion clean energy, addressing market and deployment barriers and driving down costs with more efficient, reliable, and predictable wind energy systems. This report provides an overview of the achievements NREL made on behalf of DOE's Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) and other partners between October 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022.
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The 100 kW experimental wind turbine generator project
The Energy Research and Development Administration and the NASA Lewis Research Center engaged jointly in a Wind Energy Program which included the design and erection of a 100 kW wind turbine generator. This test machine consists of a rotor turbine, transmission, shaft, alternator, and tower. The rotor, measuring 125 feet in diameter and consisting of two variable pitch blades, operates at 40 rpm and generates 100 kW of electrical power at a wind velocity of 18 mph. The entire assembly is placed on top of a tower 100 feet above ground level. The machine was scheduled to be ready for operation in August, 1975.
Puthoff, R. L.↗