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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 157 (Thursday, August 14, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 47634]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19295]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Wind and Water Power Technologies Office; Request for Information

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on 
its Request for Information (RFI) to help inform DOE's research and 
development activities related to Distributed Generation from Wind 
Energy Systems.

DATES: Comments regarding the RFI must be received on or before 
September 21, 2014.

ADDRESSES: The complete RFI document is located at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Responses to the RFI should be sent 
via email to DistributedGeneration@ee.doe.gov. Further instruction can 
be found in the RFI document posted on EERE Exchange.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Wind and Water Power Technologies Office 
is within the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy (DOE-EERE). WWPTO program activities lead the nation's 
efforts to accelerate the deployment of wind power technologies through 
improved performance, lower costs, and reduced market barriers. The 
Wind Program works with national laboratories, industry, universities, 
and other federal agencies to conduct research and development 
activities through competitively selected, directly funded, and cost-
shared projects. WWPTO efforts target offshore wind, land based 
utility-scale and distributed applications of wind power technology. To 
find more information about the Wind Program, please visit: http://energy.gov/eere/wind/wind-program.
    The focus of this RFI will be on the Wind Program's distributed 
wind portfolio. Distributed wind energy systems are commonly installed 
on residential, agricultural, commercial, institutional, and industrial 
sites connected either physically or virtually on the customer side of 
the meter (to serve on-site load) or directly to the local distribution 
or micro grid (to support local grid operations or offset nearby 
loads). Because the definition is based on a wind project's location 
relative to end-use and power-distribution infrastructure, rather than 
on technology size or project size, the distributed wind market 
includes wind turbines and projects of many sizes. For example, 
distributed wind systems can range in size from a 1-kW or smaller off-
grid turbine at a remote cabin to a 10-kW turbine at a home to one or 
several multi-megawatt turbines at a university campus, manufacturing 
facility, or other large facility. To find more information on the Wind 
Program's distributed wind portfolio, please visit: http://energy.gov/eere/wind/distributed-wind.
    DOE's Wind Program is planning a research and development program 
which will seek to ensure system performance meets consumer 
expectations; develop reliable, low-cost technology optimized for 
distributed applications; increase utility confidence in integration of 
distributed wind systems; and streamline the project development and 
installation process. The activities under this program would encompass 
the following focus areas:

1. Wind Resource Characterization & Assessment

     Better understanding of resource creates reliable turbine 
designs, properly sited distributed wind systems, and mitigates 
financial risk with regard to payback

2. Turbine Technology

     Technology transfer and innovation to expand rotors and 
increase hub heights for small and midsize turbines for increased 
performance, and advanced manufacturing for lower cost systems

3. Distributed Grid Integration

     Accurate generator modeling and clear understanding of 
operating impacts to mitigate interconnection/integration effects

4. Soft Cost Reduction

     Reduced red tape from permitting requirements and 
interconnection procedures will lower costs, accelerate adoption and 
integration

    The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, 
academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other 
stakeholders on DOE's new perspective on distributed wind and R&D focus 
areas in order to inform future activities and priorities. EERE is 
specifically interested in information on each of the focus areas 
listed above. This is solely a request for information and not a 
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). EERE is not accepting 
applications through this RFI. DOE will not respond to questions 
regarding this RFI.
    In its RFI, DOE requests comments, information, and recommendations 
on four main activities related to Distributed Wind Energy Systems. The 
RFI is available at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on August 11, 2014.
Jose Zayas,
Director, Wind and Water Power Technologies Office, U.S. Department of 
Energy.
[FR Doc. 2014-19295 Filed 8-13-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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