The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden has issued a notice of intent under the Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP), inviting U.S. manufacturers of small- and medium-sized wind turbine technology to prepare project ideas and teams for a 2025 request for proposals (RFP).
NREL will host a two-day virtual workshop on Dec. 4 and 5, 2024, from 12:30 to 3 p.m. MT to assist interested parties in applying to CIP. Managed by NREL on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, CIP provides cost-shared subcontracts and national laboratory technical assistance to component suppliers and manufacturers of small- and medium-sized wind turbines.
“CIP plays a key role in reducing the costs of distributed wind energy technologies, advancing innovative products into testing, and increasing the number of certified wind turbines available on the U.S. market,” said Brent Summerville, NREL’s CIP lead. “Through this notice of intent and upcoming workshop, NREL is preparing distributed wind manufacturers for the next CIP solicitation in 2025.”
The CIP initiative aims to support innovation in wind energy by:
- Reducing component and system costs
- Optimizing designs for increased energy production
- Developing advanced manufacturing processes to reduce hardware costs and meet growing demand
- Improving compatibility with other distributed energy resources and grid-support capabilities
- Ensuring that distributed energy consumers have certified wind technology options that meet national performance and quality standards
The December 2024 workshop will provide an overview of CIP, review previous topics, evaluation criteria, testing, certification requirements and technical assistance opportunities. “Designed specifically for companies interested in applying to the 2025 CIP solicitation, this workshop will help attendees understand the RFP process and criteria in preparation for submitting on-target proposals,” Summerville said.
Speakers will address various topics, including:
- Previous CIP solicitation topics and guidance on appropriate topic areas for different turbine technology development stages
- Merit criteria and proposal information requirements
- Overview of turbine and component testing and certification processes
- Technical assistance opportunities
- Contracting requirements and the RFP process
