This U.S. Department of Energy Wind Program Newsletter provides recent news about the program's R&D projects, its accomplishments, upcoming events, funding opportunities, and recent publications.
Letter from the Wind Program Director
Energy Department in the News
Current R&D
Past Issues
Articles by Topic
LETTER FROM THE WIND PROGRAM DIRECTOR
This spring edition of the Wind Program Newsletter comes at the juncture of two important events for the wind industry: the 1-year anniversary of the Energy Department Wind Program’s historic Wind Vision Report and the start of American Wind Energy Association WINDPOWER 2016. We have quite a bit to celebrate this spring. More
ENERGY DEPARTMENT IN THE NEWS
NEW STUDY HELPS OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPERS PROTECT WILDLIFE
A first-of-its-kind in-depth study of wildlife distribution and movements, the collaborative Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Studies Project helps improve our understanding of how mid-Atlantic birds and aquatic animals interact with their marine environment, promoting more sustainable offshore wind development. More
INNOVATIVE DRIVETRAIN TESTING FOR WIND TURBINES NEARS COMPLETION
Wind energy researchers have entered the final phase of testing a next-generation drivetrain that will be less expensive, more reliable, and more efficient. This Energy Department project combines innovations across the entire drivetrain system. More
ENERGY DEPARTMENT EXPLORES POTENTIAL OF WIND POWER TO STABILIZE ELECTRIC GRIDS
Researchers at the Energy Department's National Wind Technology Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are evaluating the potential of wind farms to provide frequency-responsive back-up or “ancillary services” currently supplied to the grid by conventional power plants. More
WIND TURBINE SHOWCASED IN ENERGY DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS
A small wind turbine developed using a process that cuts manufacturing costs from $1,000 to $50 is on display in the lobby of the Energy Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.More
CURRENT R&D
WIND TURBINE MANUFACTURING TRANSFORMS WITH THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING
A team of government and industry partners is using additive manufacturing—or three-dimensional printing—to make wind turbine blade molds. This innovative concept is just one way the Energy Department is leading the United States toward a clean energy future. More
WIND PROGRAM PRESENTATIONS AT AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION WINDPOWER 2016
Stop by the Energy Department’s Wind Program exhibit booth #4847 at the AWEA WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition to meet Wind Program personnel and learn about the program's latest funded research. More
COLLEGIATE WIND COMPETITION SET TO BLOW AWEA WINDPOWER 2016 AWAY
When you add passionate collegiate competitors and their pioneering wind-turbine designs to America’s largest wind-industry event, you get a winning combination designed to spark excitement. The U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition 2016 takes place at AWEA WINDPOWER 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana, from May 23–25. More
RESEARCHERS ACHIEVE BREAKTHROUGH IN SOLVING LEADING CAUSE OF GEARBOX FAILURES
By successfully replicating the leading cause of wind turbine gearbox failures, known as white-etch cracks or axial cracks, researchers from the Energy Department’s Argonne National Laboratory have taken a big step forward in solving a problem that has plagued the wind industry for years. More
ENERGY DEPARTMENT HELPS MANUFACTURERS OF SMALL AND MID-SIZED WIND TURBINES MEET CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
NREL has awarded four Energy Department subcontracts to manufacturers of small and mid-size wind turbines to improve their turbine design and manufacturing processes while reducing costs and improving efficiency as they work toward certification. More
SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES HITS MILESTONE, GEARS UP FOR 2016 RESEARCH
After successfully remounting a rotor on one of its heavily modified turbines at the Scaled Wind Farm Technology facility in Lubbock, Texas, researchers at the Energy Department’s Sandia National Laboratories have completed the first step in returning the facility to full operational capability and beginning a wide range of wind plant research. More
FAST V8 OFFERS NEW MODELING AND ANALYSIS FEATURES
The recently released version 8.15 of FAST, the industry’s premier open-source wind turbine multiphysics engineering software tool, features enhanced capabilities and functionality. More
USING WEATHER DATA TO IMPROVE CAPACITY OF EXISTING POWER LINES
To increase the amount of electricity delivered from wind farms, researchers from the Energy Department and Idaho National Laboratory are investigating the effects of weather on transmission lines using weather stations and loggers. More
SIMULATION TOOLKIT PROMISES BETTER WIND PREDICTIONS, INCREASED FARM PRODUCTION
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is creating a multiscale atmosphere/wind farm simulation toolkit that incorporates the full spectrum of weather, environmental, and turbine impacts to better predict wind farm flows. More
MAKING WIND ENERGY PREDICTABLE: NEW PROFILERS PROVIDE HOURLY FORECASTS
Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory collaborated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to add radar wind profilers along the Oregon and Washington coast to measure the speed and direction of oncoming wind patterns and provide wind plant operators and utilities more accurate wind energy forecasts. More
PAST ISSUES
See previous versions of the Wind Program Newsletter.