Wind Energy News

Stay up to date on the latest wind energy research and development news at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Dec. 12, 2023

Behind the Blades: Vahan Gevorgian's 3-Decade Clean Energy Odyssey

Twenty-nine years ago, Vahan Gevorgian was a post-doctoral researcher studying wind and hybrid energy systems at the State Engineering University of Armenia when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented itself.

Dec. 11, 2023

Born in a Flood: The Epic Story of the Controllable Grid Interface

Since 2013, NREL's Controllable Grid Interface has helped manufacturers and system operators understand how grid disturbances affect renewable energy systems before they are deployed. Ten years later, the second, more powerful CGI will soon be ready to complement the first CGI and enable NREL to support more experiments.

Dec. 11, 2023

Recyclable, Plant-Based Material Could Take a Spin on Next Generation of Wind Turbines

Nicknamed PECAN, NREL's new, recyclable wind turbine blade resin boasts a novel composition. The name is an acronym representing the material's chemical structure, PolyEster Covalently Adaptable Network. NREL researchers designed the PECAN resin using biobased chemicals that can be easily extracted from plant waste.

Dec. 8, 2023

North American Wind Energy Academy 2023 Recap

Researchers, educators, industry leaders, and more recently convened in Broomfield, Colorado, for the 2023 conference.

Dec. 6, 2023

NREL Will Lead Two $19M Research Centers To Spur Decarbonization Efforts as Part of DOE's Energy Earthshots Initiative

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science has announced $264 million in funding for 29 projects to develop clean-energy solutions that will pave the way to achieving a net-zero-carbon economy by 2050.

Dec. 5, 2023

A Sustainable Solution To Increase Clean Energy Deployment

In a Nature Energy article, NREL researchers discuss contracts for difference, which ensure renewable energy projects, like offshore wind farms, receive a fixed price for the energy they generate and can pay back their high initial investment costs, lowering the barrier for new projects to help expand clean energy deployment.

Nov. 20, 2023

NREL Notice of Intent Invites US Manufacturers To Develop and Commercialize Distributed Wind Energy Technology

NREL has issued a Competitiveness Improvement Project notice of intent and will host a workshop in advance of a 2024 funding solicitation for U.S. manufacturers of small- and medium-sized wind turbine technology.

Oct. 25, 2023

Invertible Neural Network Tool Helps Optimize Airfoil Design

Computational tools using artificial intelligence (AI) can help optimize airfoil design for wind turbine blades, aircraft wings, and fan blades in natural gas turbines.

Oct. 9, 2023

News Release: NREL Analysis Identifies Drivers of Offshore Wind Development

As much as 20% of regional power needs along the Atlantic coast could be served by offshore wind farms by 2050, according to NREL.

Oct. 5, 2023

Building Better Blades: Renewed Funding Supports Wind Turbine Blade Innovations at NREL

As one of six core partners in the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, NREL just received an additional round of funding for research to help lower the cost and boost quality and sustainability of wind turbine blades.

Sept. 26, 2023

What Will It Take To Unlock U.S. Floating Offshore Wind Energy?

Investment in a port system and domestic supply chain could enable the United States to efficiently deploy floating offshore wind energy at a commercial scale on the West Coast, according to an NREL study.

Sept. 25, 2023

Projects Could Power 18 Million American Homes With Offshore Wind Energy

The offshore wind energy pipeline continued to grow last year, according to an NREL analysis recently released in the Offshore Wind Market Report: 2023 Edition. If fully developed, the projects would be enough to power more than 18 million homes.

Sept. 22, 2023

Technology Advancements Could Unlock 80% More Wind Energy Potential During This Decade

Near-commercial wind turbine innovations will allow for cost-effective wind power in additional regions of the United States.

Sept. 12, 2023

New Prize Doubles Down on Success of Earlier Community-Based Prizes

DOE is launching a new challenge that combines the Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize and the Community Clean Energy Coalition Prize, this time expanding the reach to community organizations, manufacturers, nonfederal government entities, and college students.

Aug. 21, 2023

NREL Reimagines Next-Generation Drivetrain Technologies for Offshore Wind Turbines

New studies leveraging conceptual designs of offshore wind turbines point to how their drivetrains could change in the near future to produce more power while lowering costs, according to a new report by NREL and General Electric Research.

Aug. 15, 2023

How Do We Inventory the Materials Needed To Build Wind and Solar Farms?

The new Renewable Energy Materials Properties Database, the development of which was led by NREL, compiles information on materials used in wind and solar power plants.

Aug. 3, 2023

News Release: NREL Analysis Quantifies Impacts of Setback Ordinances on Land Available for Renewable Energy Deployment

The number of local zoning ordinances governing renewable energy deployment is growing in the United States, according to new research by NREL. The amount of land available to deploy renewables depends on the characteristics of the ordinances.

July 12, 2023

New Prize To Propel Wind Turbine Materials Recycling  

The newly launched Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize, a $5.1 million competition administered by NREL, aims to help the country develop a cost-effective and sustainable domestic recycling industry for two high-impact categories of wind turbine materials to create a circular U.S. wind energy economy.

June 26, 2023

Their Powers Combined: NREL Postdocs Study Turbulent Winds To Boost Concentrating Solar Efficiency

As part of a two-year project, three NREL postdocs are working hard to understand the impact of turbulent wind conditions on a type of concentrating solar power technology that uses a tube positioned along a curved, mirrored structure to collect sunlight.

June 26, 2023

Exploring Offshore Wind Energy Opportunities in the Great Lakes

The five Great Lakes contain 20% of the planet's freshwater resources. And, according to NREL research, they hold a wealth of wind energy potential that could enable states in the region to achieve their clean-energy goals, boost their economies with high-paying jobs, and provide a cleaner environment for residents.

June 21, 2023

Climate Justice Champions Celebrated at Finale of Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize

Six teams competing in the the inaugural Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize have been named grand prize winners after their year-long efforts to advance an equitable and just clean energy ecosystem within their communities.

June 7, 2023

Collegiate Competitions Supercharge the Future Clean Energy Workforce

College students showcased their work in water power and wind energy at the final events for three DOE collegiate competitions: the inaugural Hydropower Collegiate Competition, fourth annual Marine Energy Collegiate Competition, and 10th annual Collegiate Wind Competition.

May 23, 2023

NREL Adds Lab Space With New Building, Preps Other Projects

NREL's newest building, the Research and Innovation Laboratory (RAIL), which will house multipurpose lab space, is the first laboratory building to open at NREL's Golden, Colorado, campus since the fall of 2013.

May 3, 2023

The Winds of Change Keep Blowing

A panel of NREL wind experts joined an April 6 panel at NREL's Flatirons Campus, expanding on the tales included in NREL's "Clean Energy Innovators" book by Ernie Tucker.

April 18, 2023

NREL Innovations Help Consumers Invest in Our Planet

Much aligned to Earth Day's theme of "Investing in Our Planet," the research and innovations developed at NREL are helping consumers contribute to our beautiful blue marble's future. Here are just a few of the ways.

April 13, 2023

NREL, GE Research Team Find Critical Adjustments to Improve Wind Turbine Design

Researchers at GE-GRC and NREL are studying the impact of low-level jet stream behavior along the Atlantic coast on coastal wind farm installations to find critical insights for a burgeoning U.S. wind energy economy.

March 29, 2023

FLOWIN Forward: Nine Teams Advance to Phase Two of the First Wind Energy Prize

The first NREL-administered, three-phase floating offshore wind energy prize has named nine Phase One winners, kicking off Phase Two.

March 28, 2023

Advanced Computing Powers 300-Plus Clean Energy Projects

In Fiscal Year 2022, NREL played a critical role in computing advancements for 300-plus clean energy research projects through high-performance computing (HPC), efficient data center operation, and state-of-the-art data visualization.

March 27, 2023

Southeast Asia Wind Resource Data Set Released Through the Renewable Energy Data Explorer

The USAID-NREL partnership's Advanced Energy Partnership for Asia released a high-fidelity wind data set for Southeast Asia through the Renewable Energy Data Explorer.

March 10, 2023

Distributed Wind Energy Brings Value to Remote and Rural Communities

Four-year, multilab project analyzes the many benefits of distributed wind energy for communities across the United States.

March 10, 2023

New Prizes Focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

The American-Made program, administered by NREL, features a collection of prizes designed to lower the barriers of entry to government funding, making the reward for great innovations accessible to all. And now, the program's inherent goals--to leverage diversity, equity, and accessibility to accelerate the nation's collective problem solving

Feb. 20, 2023

NREL Study Shows Wind Energy Can Help Puerto Rico Achieve Its Clean Energy and Grid Reliability Goals

The Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act, passed in 2019, set a goal for the territory to meet its electricity needs with 100% renewable energy by 2050. To support that goal, experts from NREL evaluated Puerto Rico's wind energy costs and technical potential.

Feb. 2, 2023

NREL Patent Activity Climbed in FY 2022 as Researchers Recognize More Eureka Moments

NREL files an average of about 170 patent applications annually and releases roughly 48 open-source software titles.

Feb. 1, 2023

NREL Removes Initial Barrier to Distributed Wind Turbine Certification

By funding the cost of preliminary reviews for certification applicants, NREL is helping ensure that small- and medium-sized turbine designs can be certified for use in homes, schools, farms, and remote communities.

Feb. 1, 2023

Leader in Geospatial Data Science Named Most Promising Scientist

From geospatial modeler to role model, Anthony Lopez shines in the STEM community.

Jan. 31, 2023

Road Map Defines Path to a U.S. Offshore Wind Energy Supply Chain

A pair of NREL reports evaluates how the U.S. supply chain can evolve to support the national offshore wind energy target and position the industry for sustainable growth beyond 2030.

Jan. 30, 2023

Puerto Rican Voices Propel PR100 Study Forward

The PR100 one-year update on progress made during the first year of this two-year, stakeholder-informed study was presented to the advisory group of stakeholders and then to the public in a webinar on Jan. 23.

Archives

2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016

Share