U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Wind Program

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.