Letter From the Wind Energy Technologies Office Director Eric Lantz

It’s been one year since I began my time as director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), and I’m so proud of the tremendous progress that has been made in the last 12 months.  

One thing we’ve been working on since I started is a refreshed vision and mission for our office. Looking ahead to the diverse clean energy system of the future, we know that our work must be focused on making wind energy more accessible, sustainable, and secure. Further, we have to be increasingly cognizant of the importance of returning meaningful value to the electricity grid and economic development for the American people. Effectively applying the tools of the federal government in service of these objectives drives our day-to-day efforts. 

To these ends, we continue to pursue foundational science, fund targeted technology development and research projects, execute world-class analysis, and foster partnerships and collaborations across labs, universities, manufacturers, developers, and nongovernmental organizations, among others. 

We also continue to address wind energy challenges across the spectrum. We’re working to ensure our portfolio of research, development, and demonstration projects can help overcome key barriers to wind energy’s progress. We’re continuing to build on more than 30 years’ work to advance large-scale wind energy systems on land. And our distributed wind research has brought a new generation of cost-effective, deployment ready technologies to market. This work demonstrates WETO’s critical and unique role as one of the primary global sources of public R&D for wind power. 

In summer 2024 we held a Project Peer Review, which provided the office with a much-needed chance to gather our team in one place, collect feedback, and think about priorities for the coming year.  

Looking ahead, one of our key priorities is addressing the challenges of scaling the wind industry, especially in relation to wildlife. Here, we’re continuing to work with federal and industry partners to come up with novel solutions that reduce our impact and ensure wind energy can be a good neighbor to wildlife including bats, birds, and whales. Part of meeting that goal is our recent Funding Opportunity Announcement supporting accelerated and responsible development of offshore renewable energy by funding research to reduce risk and improve environmental compatibility of deployments in all regions of U.S. waters including the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico. 

We’ll also focus on how to be the best support for our industry partners as they scale up manufacturing processes and tackle component reliability and sustainability issues. One way we’re addressing sustainability is through the $20 million notice of intent for a Wind Turbine Technology Recycling Funding Opportunity. I’m also pleased to highlight the final six winners of the $5.1 million Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize. Each winning team was awarded a total of $575,000 in cash prizes and vouchers valued at $100,000 to work with DOE national laboratories to advance their recycling technologies. We’re working harder than ever to engage with other government agencies, including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, other offices within the U.S. Department of Energy, and Tribes.  

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we’re continuing to provide technical assistance through the Rural and Agricultural Income & Savings from Renewable Energy (RAISE) initiative to support the uptake of distributed wind energy for farmers with initial promising signs of impact in this field. And we are making ongoing contributions to the interagency Floating Offshore Wind Shot, which has made substantial progress, including DOE, the Department of the Interior, and Department of Transportation dedicating over $950 million in support. 

On the publications front, we released our annual distributed, offshore, and land-based wind market reports that inform policymakers, researchers, and analysts about wind energy technology and market trends. Some highlights: 

• In 2023, 16 states added 10.5 megawatts (MW) of new distributed wind capacity from 1,999 turbine units, representing $37 million in investment. 
• As of May 31, 2024, the U.S. offshore wind energy pipeline grew more than 53% (27,836 MW) to a total of 80,523 MW, from the 2023 edition of the report. 
• The United States added 6.5 GW of land-based wind power capacity in 2023, totaling $10.8 billion of investment. 

Finally, we are continuing to support workforce development efforts to ensure the next generation of wind energy professionals is prepared for the industry’s growth. We recently announced funding through the Offshore Wind Workforce Readiness program and selected the 35 qualifying teams that will compete in the 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition, one of our flagship workforce development activities. This competition has been helping students gain real-world experience for more than a decade, and more than 1,500 students have participated since its inception.