The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have issued a request for proposals (RFP) for research focused on the fundamental aerodynamics of large wind turbine performance and reliability.
NREL, on behalf of WETO, will allocate up to $6.25 million to support U.S.-based industry and academic teams conducting foundational research to improve data validation for predicting aerodynamic performance, loads, and behaviour of large wind turbines.
The funding will be divided into two key research areas:
- Topic Area 1: High Reynolds number airfoil aerodynamics validation datasets (addressing the aerodynamic behaviour of blade shapes)
- Topic Area 2: Aerodynamic characterisation of non-operational loads phenomena
The initiative aims to enhance turbine efficiency and structural reliability through improved aerodynamic modelling and data accuracy.
