$2.6 Million Awarded to Advance US Offshore Wind Innovation

The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC)has made available $2.6 million for a group of projects aiming to advance technological innovation that will drive down costs of offshore wind development in the U.S.

The Consortium, established by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2018, this week announced Round One awards in the Offshore Wind Solicitation 1.0 for offshore wind technology research and development projects aimed at enabling the installation and operation of largescale 15 megawatt turbines in U.S. waters.

“The awards reflect critical topics identified by industry to advance offshore wind development and the development of a U.S. supply chain to support the industry,” said Carrie Cullen Hitt, Executive Director of the Consortium.

“These projects will enable the continued scaling of offshore wind turbines to even greater heights, allowing them to access the excellent wind resources off our coasts while capitalizing on economies of scale,” said Robert Marlay, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.

Manufacturers have been working to produce increasingly larger offshore wind turbines in an effort to maximize power output and efficiency, but the upsizing presents significant supply chain and installation challenges.

The NOWRDC competitive solicitation, which was open to companies and academic and research institutions, sought new solutions that remove barriers and address these issues, essential for cost reduction, deployment and ultimately industry growth.

The five winners are:

1. Exmar Offshore Company: Feasibility of a Jones Act Compliant Wind Turbine Installation Vessel Conversion
2. Crowley Maritime: Technology Validation of Existing US Barges as a Feeder Solution for US Offshore Wind
3. Texas A&M: Vibratory-Installed Bucket Foundation for Fixed Foundation Offshore Wind Towers
4. Esteyco SL: Self-Installing Concrete Gravity-Base Substructure Sizing for 15MW Turbine
5. Marin USA: Comparative Operability of Floating Feeder Solutions

Crowley Vice President, New Energy Jeff Andreini said, “We are confident that through these simulations, we will be able to document and demonstrate the effectiveness of U.S. flagged, towed barges to safely and efficiently perform as offshore wind component “feeder” vessels in varied sea conditions and environments.”

Over the past year, twenty-five projects received awards from the Consortium, representing over $20 million in funding.