Key Activities in Wind Energy
In order to reduce the cost of wind power technologies and accelerate the deployment of wind power, the Wind Program conducts the following key activities:
Research and Development
- Lower the cost of wind energy through R&D activities focused on innovative wind turbine components, systems, materials, and manufacturing
- Partner with the academic community, research institutions, and industry to improve wind turbine and wind plant design, operation, and reliability
- Facilitate the development of wind turbine systems in both land-based and offshore environments
- Explore cost reduction opportunities across all types of wind power systems
- Develop and validate open-source design tools for evaluating new concepts and educating the next generation of wind turbine designers
Wind Turbine Testing and Certification
- Partner with industry, universities, and national laboratories to develop aerodynamic, structural and electrical test centers for wind farms, wind turbines, rotor blades, and drivetrains
- Enable industry to meet performance and safety standards by establishing frameworks for small wind turbine certification.
- Participate in the development of national and international wind energy standards
Market Acceleration and Deployment
- Partner with environmental groups and agencies to understand the impacts of wind energy on bird, bat, and insect species and their habitats
- Assist in the development of guidelines for proper wind plant siting and permitting
- Investigate and mitigate potential impacts of wind energy on society, including auditory, visual, radar, and competitive-use impacts
- Provide independent cost of energy analyses, economic assessments, and market information publications
Wind Resource Assessment and Grid Integration
- Assess domestic wind energy resource for both land-based and offshore wind energy systems
- Improve the global understanding of wind farm design conditions and complex aerodynamics
- Understand critical wind integration challenges related to electricity supply and demand, wind forecasting, and wind speed variability
- Develop solutions and best practices for wind energy grid integration.