Competitiveness Improvement Project
The Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) provides financial and technical support to manufacturers of small wind turbines.
Managed by NREL on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office, CIP awards cost-shared subcontracts and technical support to manufacturers of small and medium-sized wind turbines. Designed to make distributed wind energy technologies more cost-competitive and reliable, these awards help manufacturers of wind turbines less than 1 MW in capacity to:
- Optimize their designs
- Develop advanced manufacturing processes
- Perform turbine and component testing and certification
- Accelerate pathways for commercialization.
The goals of CIP are to make wind energy cost-competitive with other distributed generation technologies and increase the number of wind turbine designs tested and certified to national standards. Review a February 2023 slide-deck overview of CIP’s goals, history, 2022–2023 awardees, and future.
The latest CIP request for proposals closed on April 6, 2022; the 12 awardees for 2022 and 2023 combined were announced on Dec. 15, 2022. These historic funding levels and number of projects were made possible by combining fiscal year funding from 2022 and 2023. Therefore, the next call for proposals will tentatively be in 2024.
Competitiveness Improvement Project
Since 2012, NREL will have awarded:
private-sector investment
The Competitiveness Improvement Project supports companies from across the nation.
Why the U.S. Department of Energy Invests in the Competitiveness Improvement Project
Cost reductions, more reliable technologies, and consumer-friendly business models are making distributed energy generation more accessible to businesses and consumers interested in producing their own electricity. DOE investments in CIP to support U.S. leadership in distributed wind energy technologies and advance wind energy as a low-cost distributed generation technology option by:
- Reducing technology costs
- Supporting new product innovation
- Optimizing wind turbines for distributed applications
- Ensuring that distributed energy consumers have wind energy technology options that are certified for performance and quality.
The Competitiveness Improvement Project's Impact
After the 2022–2023 project agreements are finalized, NREL will have awarded 64 subcontracts to 26 companies, totaling $15.4 million of DOE funding, while leveraging $7.9 million in additional private-sector investment since CIP began in 2012.
During that time, CIP has helped more than two dozen small businesses across the United States develop new and innovative distributed wind energy technology. CIP projects have made distributed wind energy more cost-competitive, improved its interoperability with other distributed energy resources, and increased the number of small- and mid-scale wind turbine designs tested to national standards.
In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratory, over the course of this effort ...
Bergey Windpower Co. (BWP) doubled annual energy production with the Excel 15 wind turbine,
which reduced the levelized cost of energy by
2012
BWP produced this 10-kW workhorse wind turbine for 30 years.
2013
Under CIP, BWP conducted a complete redesign of the turbine.
2014
Under CIP, BWP partnered with Intergrid and greatly expanded the control and functionality of the turbine power electronics with a small additional cost.
2015
BWP started certification testing of a new 15-kW model to U.S. standards.
2017
BWP developed a new tower and foundation to reduce installed costs.
2019
BWP requested CIP funding to expand the applications for use of the 15-kW turbine, focusing on microgrid markets.
2021
BWP focused on optimizing its permanent magnet alternator, reducing its cost by 26% and leading to an 8% reduction in total system manufacturing costs.
2022
Taking advantage of the newest CIP topic area, BWP will develop a financing solution to accelerate the pace of rural residential market sales.
Common Award Topics and Recent Project Examples
NREL has conducted requests for proposals for the following award topics. Examples of projects funded in each topic are included.
The selection of topics is guided by available funds and input from the wind energy industry about specific areas of concern. Each CIP solicitation cycle may not include every category.
These projects focus on moving original concepts from the preliminary design phase to development of a production prototype that can be evaluated. The goal is to develop a final prototype wind turbine design ready for manufacturing and prototype testing.
Learn about:
These projects support the construction and installation of a production prototype of the full wind turbine system that is ready for field or dynamometer testing.
Learn about:
These projects validate a prototype wind turbine to determine the commercial readiness of the turbine system. These results are intended to confirm turbine designs or improvements that are ready for certification testing.
Learn about:
These projects support innovation in existing components—such as controllers, inverters, alternators, rotor blades, or towers—to lower costs and/or improve production. Projects can also include development of turbine components that will allow the wind turbine to enter new market areas.
Learn about:
Bergey Windpower's 2021 project
Siva Powers America's 2021 project
These projects support improvements in existing wind energy generator designs to optimize the full system or a subsystem of components, leading to a reduced levelized cost of energy.
Learn about:
These projects apply to turbines up to 150 kW peak power seeking certification to ANSI/ACP 101-1-2021 The Small Wind Turbine Standard. The effort may also include work to List the turbine assembly or component(s) to applicable electrical safety standards.
Learn about:
These projects apply to turbines up to 1 MW rated power seeking type certification through the IECRE System (IEC System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Renewable Energy Applications). The effort may also include work to List the turbine assembly or component(s) to applicable electrical safety standards.
These projects support designing, building, and validating improved manufacturing processes for a defined production of a wind turbine, leading to a reduced levelized cost of energy.
Focused on the development of markets for new products or existing products into new markets, this topic area helps address cost barriers to commercialization and rapid, large-scale deployment of improved distributed wind energy technology.
2021 Competitiveness Improvement Project Workshop
For wind energy manufacturers interested in applying to CIP solicitations, NREL hosted a 4-day virtual workshop in December 2021. Speakers provided an overview of the CIP process, evaluation criteria, certification requirements, and NREL's technical support opportunities.
Access the following workshop recordings for topic area presentations and discussions, examples of past projects, guidance on choosing the appropriate topic area, and tips for preparing successful proposals and reports.
View Day 1 of the 2021 CIP Informational Workshop, which includes:
- Overview of CIP with Ian Baring-Gould (NREL) and Bret Barker (DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office)
- Overview of Potential Topic Areas with Brent Summerville (NREL)
- Overview of Prototype Design Development with Brent Summerville (NREL)
- Overview of Prototype Manufacture and Installation with Scott Dana (NREL)
- Overview of Prototype Installation and Testing with Scott Dana (NREL)
- Overview of Component Innovation and System Optimization with Ian Baring-Gould (NREL)
- Overview of Small Wind Testing and Certification with Brent Summerville (NREL)
- Overview of Type Certification with Jeroen van Dam (NREL)
- Manufacturing Process Innovation with Dave Snowberg (NREL)
- Electrical Standards for Grid-Connected Equipment with Brent Summerville (NREL) and Robert Wills (Intergrid).
View Day 2 of the 2021 CIP Informational Workshop, which includes:
- Introduction and Q&A with Ian Baring-Gould and the rest of the NREL team
- Review of the new ANSI/ACP 101-1-2021 The Small Wind Turbine Standard with Brent Summerville (NREL)
- Test Site and Certification Testing Requirements with Brent Summerville (NREL) and Dean Davis (Windward Engineering)
- Design Tools for Distributed Wind with Rick Damiani (RRD Engineering)
- Q&A with Ian Baring-Gould and the rest of the NREL team.
View Day 3 of the 2021 CIP Informational Workshop, which includes:
- Introduction and Q&A with Ian Baring-Gould and the rest of the NREL team
- Procurement/Contracting with Kyndall Jackson (NREL)
- Design Review/Evaluation with Brent Summerville (NREL)
- Additional CIP Considerations with Scott Dana (NREL) and Brent Summerville (NREL)
- Has CIP Accomplished the Goals and Objectives It Was Designed To Achieve? with Ian Baring-Gould (NREL) and Bret Barker (DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office)
- Final Q&A with Ian Baring-Gould (NREL).
Day 4 of the workshop focused on topic areas, including the following recorded presentations and discussions:
Prototype Manufacture and Installation
Prototype Installation and Testing
Component Innovations and System Optimization
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