Due: November 1, 2024 at 5pm ET
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO), in collaboration with ConnectWerx, the Partnership Intermediary under a newly established Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA), has opened an initial funding opportunity for a specialized, independent consultant or academic entity to lead a consortium of technical experts that identifies standardized offshore wind transmission equipment specifications and mesh-ready design to support coordinated procurement in the United States. The consortium will work together to support near-term state offshore wind solicitations and potential shared transmission solutions.
The recent Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Study highlighted the immense value that coordinated offshore transmission networks can bring to the Atlantic region. To achieve a cost-effective integrated offshore network, the transmission assets built off each state’s coasts will need to be constructed with future compatibility in mind. Through the Standardization for Interregional Offshore Wind Transmission opportunity, GDO will fund one principal investigator over an initial one-year performance period to assemble and lead a regionally-focused consortium of technical experts that could consist of, but not limited to, original equipment manufacturers, engineering design firms, offshore wind developers, regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and independent system operators (ISOs), transmission owners, utilities, and entities with experience in offshore wind standards, development of new industry standards, and offshore wind procurements. The primary role of this research consortium is to provide guidance and develop best practices for the Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission (Collaborative) on offshore transmission standardization to promote interconnection and interoperability of projects that may be constructed by different vendors using equipment from OEMs across different time horizons.
GDO will evaluate and prioritize applications to ensure the funded project works closely with the Collaborative to develop and vet ideas with the goal of informing near-term and future state offshore wind solicitation processes. The consortium’s experience and approach to offshore wind transmission standardization should be able to be implemented within the one-year initial period of performance and should be able to be adapted to meet milestones developed in collaboration with GDO.
The consortium performers are expected to collaborate in the development of deliverables that may include drafting a technical memo on existing offshore wind solicitation landscape and completing a report on offshore wind transmission standardization approaches for the Atlantic Region in light of global supply chain limitations.
ConnectWerx, in partnership with DOE, will coordinate collection of applications, selection of consortium performers, and administer funds. DOE expects to make one award totaling up to $1.25 million in this funding round to a single consortium lead. It is the lead’s responsibility to develop and manage the budget within the consortium. There will be no federal cost share requirement.
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