US DoE unveils USD 80m in funding options for wind, solar and tidal R&D

The US Department of Energy (DoE) this week announced plans to support various research initiatives involving renewable energies with close to USD 80 million (EUR 81.3m) in funding.

In early 2023, DoE will be launching a USD-35-million funding opportunity tied to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aimed at advancing tidal energy. It is described as the country’s largest investment so far in tidal and river current energy technologies.

The funding opportunity will seek to support the development of a tidal or river current research, development and demonstration site, as well as in-water demonstration of at least one tidal energy system.

The government sees potential in tidal and river current resources to provide local, affordable and clean power to rural and remote island communities and help the nation achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

At the same time, DoE said it is poised to make USD 30 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law available for research and development projects to reduce barriers to and lower costs for offshore and onshore wind.

The forthcoming USD-28-million funding opportunity includes USD 9.7 million for technologies needed to transmit large amounts of electricity from offshore wind over long distances, USD 3.3 million for the improvement of permitting processes for distributed wind, USD 6.9 million for research into ways to help coastal communities benefit from offshore wind development, as well as USD 8 million for bat deterrent technologies. Separately, DoE seeks information to shape USD 2.5 million in future research and development funding for anchors and mooring systems for floating offshore wind.

These investments in combination with the Inflation Reduction Act’s incentives will fuel wind energy’s continued growth, the department said. In 2021, wind provided more than 9% of electricity generation in the US.

As already reported, DoE also awarded USD 14 million in funding to projects that will study interactions between wildlife and ecosystems and solar energy infrastructure.

(USD 1 = EUR 1.017)

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