A new report identifies that educational training programs and events, like the U.S.
Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition (shown here), which provides participating
students with real-world wind energy experience, could help meet the growing demand
for trained wind energy workers. Photo by Werner Slocum, NREL
A new report authored by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers estimates
that in 2030, the demand for wind energy workers could reach 258,000. However, that number could fall short by 124,000, with the workforce growing to
only 134,000 by that time.
The report, funded by U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Wind Energy Technologies
Office, builds on a 2019 NREL report that identified what researchers called “the wind energy workforce gap.” That gap is caused by the difficulty of employers to find qualified applicants and,
concurrently, recent graduates and current workers to find open positions in the wind
energy industry.
Designed to better understand current workforce challenges and identify factors that
could help narrow the gap, the report investigates what it will take to connect the
dots among education, training, entry-level jobs, and long-term careers in the clean
energy sector as the United States strives to achieve a 100% net-zero carbon economy
by 2050.
NREL researchers have determined offshore wind turbines in Cook Inlet, Alaska, are
a feasible option for generating renewable energy from ocean-based resources. Photo by Levi Kilcher, NREL
With support from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, NREL researchers assessed the feasibility of ocean-based renewable energy sources for Alaska, focusing on the Outer Continental Shelf. In the study, they estimate Alaskan waters
could generate a vast potential of 3,800 gigawatts in wind, wave, and tidal energy,
but challenges include logistical issues and the need for clean energy transition
strategies for the state’s Railbelt electric grid. The study emphasizes ongoing research
and recommends a collaborative, science-based, and inclusive approach to stakeholder
engagement to ensure equity and accessibility in supporting Alaska's clean energy
transition.
National Wind Technology Center researcher Amy Robertson’s expertise in offshore wind
energy—and photograph (that’s her in the hard hat!)—are featured in the reboot of
Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock TV series. Photos captured from Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock
When the team behind Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock—a TV series airing now on Apple+ TV— wanted to focus a seasonal storyline on wind
energy, they turned to NREL for expertise. Producers connected with Offshore Wind
Energy Group Manager Amy Robertson, who helped the team brainstorm ideas and ensure
accuracy in their storyline, in which the character Doc is building model offshore
wind turbines and learning about renewable energy. In one scene of the show, a photo
of Robertson inside a wind turbine blade is shown on Doc’s office wall of “sheros.”
The show’s light, nontechnical approach to offshore wind energy is educational and
inspiring for the Fraggles and their young viewers.
Photo from Cris Hein; graphic by John Frenzl, NREL
Like most everyone, Cris Hein thought all bats were vampire bats. That was 25 years
ago, before NREL’s lead environmental scientist began researching the world’s only
flying mammal.
Hein always appreciated wildlife. Growing up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, he
liked camping during family vacations and always enjoyed nature shows. But he never
dreamed of having a job that focused on wildlife.
While Hein was working on his master’s degree in biology, one of his advisors had
an opening to do research on bats. “I jumped at the chance because it seemed really
interesting. How many people get to work with bats?” Hein said. “As soon as I started
catching, handling, and researching them, I was fascinated by them. And it took off
from there.” Read the full interview with Cris Hein.
NREL researchers Kevin Griffin and Ganesh Vijayakumar. Photos from NREL
NREL Researchers Kevin Griffin and Ganesh Vijayakumar will participate in the 2024 Summer Program at the Stanford Center for Turbulence Research with a research project based on their proposal titled, “Hybrid data-informed physics-based
model for separation onset over rough surfaces.” The summer program is a biennial
event to promote the development and evaluation of new ideas in turbulence research
through sustained interaction with researchers at Stanford and visitors from around
the world. Funded by the ExaScale Computing Project from DOE Advanced Scientific Computing
Research and the Floating Turbine High-Fidelity Modeling project from the Wind Energy
Technologies Office, post-doctoral researcher Kevin Griffin has developed a novel
approach to accurately predict the onset of stall on flows past aerodynamic objects
such as wind turbine blades. NREL researchers will collaborate with international
researchers at the 2024 Center for Turbulence Research Summer Program to further study
how this work applies to rough surfaces, such as soiled or iced surfaces common on
wind turbines, rotorcraft, and aircraft.
NREL’s FLOw Redirection and Induction in Steady State (FLORIS) development team released FLORIS version 4.0, which includes expanded capabilities
that introduce new types of control strategies and make the software more user friendly.
FLORIS helps wind energy facilities improve productivity and maximize profits by optimizing
wind plant layouts and wind flow control strategies. Updates include features that
enhance FLORIS’s functionality and application in real-world plant design and improved
software utilization. Check out the full list of changes on GitHub.
The Gamesa 2MW wind turbine spins on a sunny day at the Flatirons Campus of the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory in Arvada, Colorado. Photo by Werner Slocum, NREL
Wind speed bias, or discrepancies between modeled and true wind speed, can affect
several activities and industries that rely on accurate wind speed data, such as weather
forecasting, aviation, and wind energy production. On behalf of DOE and the Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management, NREL researchers collaborated with Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory to analyze the causes of high wind speed discrepancies in a 20-year offshore wind resource dataset
for California’s Pacific Outer Continental Shelf, publishing their findings in an NREL technical report. That dataset, released in
2020, showed considerable discrepancies between the modeled wind speed and observed
wind speed at two different call areas: Humboldt and Morro Bay. Through their analysis,
the team found that the choice of atmospheric model setup greatly influenced wind
speed accuracy, particularly in stable atmospheric conditions commonly found off the
coast of California. These findings highlight the need for additional research to
understand discrepancies in widely used wind speed models and their implications for
wind energy projects worldwide. Prompted by these findings, NREL published an updated
version of the 2020 dataset. This dataset is included in NREL’s 2023 National Offshore Wind data set on OpenEI, which covers all U.S. waters.
The American Clean Power Association’s annual conference will feature panels, presentations,
workshops, and poster sessions on the renewable energy industry, including land-based,
offshore, and distributed wind energy; solar power; energy storage; and transmission.
Meet the future clean energy workforce at the Collegiate Wind Competition final event,
held May 6–9, 2024, at the American Clean Power Association’s CLEANPOWER Conference
and Exhibition in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Engage with aspiring clean energy professionals
and learn how to participate in upcoming competition cycles (DOE applications for the 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition are available now). Open to seasoned industry professionals or budding enthusiasts,
the College Wind Competition provides the opportunity to network and collaborate with
the brightest minds in clean energy. Join us in shaping the future of sustainable
energy.
The fourth annual Pacific Offshore Wind Summit will focus on advancing the next critical
steps to bring California offshore wind online. The event brings together state and
federal officials, industry leaders, and other stakeholders to discuss progress and
issues relating to siting, permitting, procurement, transmission, and environmental
challenges facing the offshore wind industry in California.
DOE and the U.S. Departments of the Interior, Commerce, and Transportation are hosting
the second Floating Offshore Wind Shot Summit. The event will highlight the accomplishments
to date, include discussion of near-term priorities for future work, and explore issues
central to advancing this emerging and critical technology.
Join NREL researchers in Florence, Italy for TORQUE 2024, an official event by the
European Academy of Wind Energy. Experts from academia and industry will discuss the
latest research and developments in applied wind energy research.
In this webinar hosted by DOE's WINDExchange initiative at 1 p.m. ET on May 30, 2024, experts from NREL will introduce attendees to key concepts
in DOE's end-of-service processes for wind energy technologies and infrastructure, including decommissioning, repowering,
and recycling. As wind energy projects across the United States become older, decisions
about end-of-service options and component processing are of growing importance to
project owners and operators, state and local decision makers, and neighboring communities.
There is also concern about the blade waste that must be processed, with several recycling
solutions being developed to meet this need.
