Secretary Chu announced that "the projects funded by this opportunity will advance wind technology so that it can reliably supply a substantial portion of our nation’s electricity. They will also help in creating more new jobs and expanding a clean energy economy.
- $45 million for wind turbine drivetrain R&D and testing to support the wind industry through testing the performance and reliability of current and next generation wind turbine drivetrain systems.
- $14 million for technology development to advance technology development in the private sector. This effort will aim to improve the quality and use of lighter weight, advanced materials for turbine blades, towers, and other components. Another area of emphasis will be process controls for lamination, blade finishing, trimming, grind, painting, materials handling and inspection.
- $24 million for wind power research and development for the development of up to three consortia between universities and industry to focus on critical wind energy challenges. These partnerships will allow universities to establish research and development programs to advance material design, performance measurements, analytical models, and work with the industry to improve power systems operations, maintenance and repair, and component manufacturing.
- $10 million for National Wind Technology Center
DOE will invest $10 million at its own National Wind Technology Center in Colorado.
Additionally, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will also receive:
- $68 million for Research Support Facility
- $19.2 million for Renewable Energy and Site Infrastructure
- $13.5 million for upgrades to the Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility - New funding will create a continuous process research and development capability to develop commercial scale cellulose to ethanol technologies. It will also accelerate the development of commercially viable conversion processes.
For more information see: http://www.energy.gov/news2009/7358.htm
