DOE Selects Eight Small Businesses to Advance Wind as a Distributed Energy Resources

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) has selected 8 small businesses through its Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) program to advance wind energy as a distributed energy resource. The 8 small businesses will work to develop cost-effective wind technology that can generate electricity for use close to where it will be consumed. The technology uses wind turbines to generate electricity that can reduce immediate costs while also providing a good source of back-up power as needed.

CIP solicits periodic projects through the DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Through the program, small and medium wind turbine manufacturers are awarded cost-shared grants to help optimize their designs, develop advanced manufacturing processes, and perform testing. CIP’s goal is to make wind energy cost competitive with other distributed generation technology and increase the number of wind turbine designs certified to national testing standards. The 2021 CIP selectees are expected to share about $2.2 million in DOE funding and leverage about $1.3 million of industry cost share

Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman commented that “Distributed energy resources—including wind—will help decarbonize the energy sector and enable local communities to participate in the energy transition. Our Competitiveness Improvement Project awards are advancing wind as a distributed energy resource to support the Biden Administration’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.”

The selected projects aim to deliver certified, next-generation wind turbine technologies to reduce costs and move the U.S. towards carbon neutrality. These projects will work to integrate wind into existing distributed energy resources and create hybrid systems that will support the national energy grid.

For a list of selected projects, visit: https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/small-businesses-selected-help-advance-wind-energy-distributed-energy-resource.