CLOSED: Research and Development Projects to Advance Offshore Wind Technology

CLOSED: Innovation Challenge for Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage

CLOSED: Electric Power Transmission and Distribution High Performing Grid Program

11/04/2019

City:	New York
Challenge Title:	Advance Offshore Wind Technology – Call for Research and Development Projects
Challenge Owner:	US National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium. Administered by NYSERDA
Challenge Website:	Challenge website
Challenge Award:	Up to $7 million
Other Awards:
Theme / Sector:	Offshore wind
Challenge Blurb:	The solicitation marks an important step in advancing the long-term strategy for identifying innovative technology to further drive down costs of offshore wind development in the United States, making it even more competitive with other generation resources.
Challenge Description:	Under the solicitation, the Consortium seeks proposals that foster significant reductions in the lifetime average cost of offshore wind energy while overcoming domestic market challenges in offshore wind technology. Challenge Area 1: Array Performance and Control Optimization Challenge Statement To date, efforts to improve annual energy production and increase reliability have focused more on individual wind turbine refinement than on the challenges and rewards of operating multi-turbine arrays to perform most efficiently as fully integrated wind plants. As offshore turbines and projects grow larger, new plant-wide design approaches and control strategies are needed to optimize energy capture, minimize turbine downtime, and reduce overall cost, based on an enhanced understanding of wake characteristics, wind profiles, and other atmospheric conditions at U.S. offshore wind sites. Objective The main objective of this challenge is to enable wind plant performance optimization through development of new methods, tools, and designs based on technology innovation and computer modeling of advanced plant controls. Challenge Area 2: Cost-Reducing Turbine Support Structures for the U.S. Market Challenge Statement Fixed-bottom turbine support structure designs developed for Europe may not be optimal for the U.S. market due to differences in seabed characteristics, extreme weather conditions, environmental and regulatory constraints, available installation vessels, and maturity of the domestic supply chain. Technology solutions are needed to optimize monopiles, jackets, gravity-base, suction buckets, transition pieces and/or other types of foundation designs in order to lower overall cost and ensure suitability under the specific conditions of U.S. offshore wind regions. Objective The main objective for this challenge is to develop fixed-bottom support structure design options (including transition piece designs) more suitable for U.S. site conditions and that facilitate the advancement of U.S. manufacturing capabilities relative to existing baseline designs. Design modifications will be proposed and evaluated, and new support structures designs will be identified to suit site conditions or enable support structure manufacturing within the U.S. Challenge Area 3: Floating Structure Mooring Concepts for Shallow and Deep Waters Challenge Statement Anchoring floating offshore wind systems in both shallow water depths (between 60 and 100m found off the U.S. Atlantic coast) and depths of 500 meters or more (Pacific Coast), poses design, installation, and cost challenges. Innovative mooring and anchoring technologies and methods are needed to manage loads on the substructure and anchors, incorporate alternative materials, optimize safety factors, and lower cost. Such innovations should consider potential impacts of increasing line spread, potential environmental and navigation impacts, and long-term performance. Based on factors such as varying water depth, seabed conditions, extreme wind and wave conditions, and seismic activity, the technology needs for floating wind mooring and anchoring systems will vary by region. Objective The main objective of this challenge is to identify new shallow and/or deep-water mooring concepts that are effective, easy to install, and lower technical risk. The impact of these projects will be to enable a greater number of potential development sites, as deployment at very deep or very shallow sites is presently perceived as expensive or high risk. Challenge Area 4: Power System Design and Innovation Challenge Statement Rapid deployment of offshore wind in the U.S. will create significant technical challenges for utilities, developers, regulators, and policymakers seeking to introduce offshore wind with minimal grid disruption at the lowest possible cost. Power system technology solutions are needed to lower individual project cost, reduce transmission losses, and enable aggregation strategies that address potential integration problems. Objective The main objective for this challenge is to reduce the cost and/or risk of bringing electricity to land from an offshore wind plant and distributing it to the grid. Uncertainty around interconnection can raise contingencies and finance costs as well as make the array cabling more expensive.
Open for Submissions:	April 10, 2019
Deadline for Submissions:	Proposal submissions accepted until December 31, 2019 or until all funds are committed.
Finalist Announcement:
Winner Announcement:	As awarded.
Who Can Apply:	Companies that address the following Wind Turbine Array Performance and Control Optimization Cost-Reducing Turbine Support Structures for the U.S. Market Floating Structure Mooring Concepts for Shallow and Deep Waters Power System Design and Innovation To qualify for funding, proposals must: Address issues essential for cost reduction, deployment, and industry expansion specific to offshore regions of the U.S. Proposals offering research topics already being addressed by other international projects, must explain why further research is necessary. Adhere to the challenges identified in Section II of this solicitation. Although the Technical Challenges and Roadmap will be updated in the future, it is expected the Consortium will continue to maintain an industry-focused, prioritized offshore wind R&D agenda that enables early U.S. offshore wind project development, LCOE reduction, and geographic industry expansion beyond the currently designated Wind Energy Areas.Provide benefits to multiple end users. R&D projects that benefit multiple end users are expected to have a greater impact toward achieving the Consortium’s industry-wide cost reduction targets compared to R&D projects focused on a developer’s specific commercial offshore wind project.
Registration Details:	Online submission. NYSERDA login required.

For application assistance: Danish Cleantech Hub