Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001932
The Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), through its Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), released this item as a Request for Information (RFI) rather than a traditional grant solicitation. The purpose is to collect practical, experience-based input from the public on what is preventing the next wave of very large ("supersized") land-based wind turbine blades from being manufactured, moved, and deployed at scale. WETO is using the feedback to understand the real-world cost, risk, and feasibility tradeoffs across different solution pathways, and to identify where federal research and development could make the biggest difference in enabling larger blades that support lower-cost, more competitive wind energy.
A central issue behind the RFI is that blade size is increasingly constrained less by design ambition and more by transportation realities. As blades get longer, existing road and rail infrastructure becomes a bottleneck due to turning radii, bridge clearances, weight limits, permitting complexity, escort requirements, and route availability. These logistical constraints can raise project costs, delay schedules, and limit where the most productive turbines can be installed. WETO is therefore asking stakeholders to describe the key challenges they see in the field, quantify or characterize cost drivers where possible, and share what they believe are the most promising ways to overcome these limits.
The RFI outlines several broad "pathways to success" that DOE wants input on. One pathway is onsite blade manufacturing or onsite assembly, where blades are produced near or at the wind plant to avoid moving extremely long components over public infrastructure. Another pathway focuses on transportation and logistics innovations, which could include new methods, equipment, or approaches that make it easier to move longer blades through existing corridors. A third pathway is hybrid approaches that combine elements of local manufacturing/assembly with improved transportation solutions, potentially balancing capital investment, workforce needs, production quality control, and logistical risk. Across these pathways, DOE is looking for insights into what is technically and economically realistic, what barriers are most stubborn, and what would need to change for large-scale adoption.
In addition to challenges and pathway comparisons, WETO is explicitly seeking guidance on where federal R&D investment could be most impactful. In practice, this means respondents are encouraged to point to specific technology gaps, engineering problems, manufacturing process needs, materials considerations, testing/validation requirements, or systems-level integration issues that industry or academia cannot efficiently solve alone. The intent is to help DOE prioritize high-leverage R&D topics that could reduce cost, improve manufacturability, improve reliability, or remove deployment barriers for next-generation blades, ultimately supporting cost-competitive wind energy on land.
Administratively, the listing is identified as DE-FOA-0001932 and is categorized under discretionary opportunities with a funding instrument type listed as "Other," but it is not offering awards and is not accepting applications. Eligibility is effectively unrestricted for submitting information (open to any type of entity, subject to any clarifications in the full RFI text). Responses were required to be submitted electronically by email to WindEnergyRFI@ee.doe.gov, with a deadline of 5:00 PM Eastern Time on June 11, 2018. DOE also states this is solely an information-gathering request, not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), and that EERE would not respond to questions. The complete RFI details and any official instructions were provided through the EERE Exchange website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.Apply for DE FOA 0001932
- The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "RFI: Pathways to Success for Next-Generation Supersized Wind Turbine Blades" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 09, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by This is a Request for Information. EERE is not accepting Applications.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is DE-FOA-0001932?
DE-FOA-0001932 is a Department of Energy (DOE) item released by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) through the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO). It was issued as a Request for Information (RFI) to collect public input related to very large ("supersized") land-based wind turbine blades.
Is this a grant or a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)?
No. This is an RFI, not a traditional grant solicitation and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). DOE stated it is solely an information-gathering request and it is not offering awards or accepting applications.
What is the purpose of this RFI?
The purpose is to gather practical, experience-based input on what is preventing the next wave of very large land-based wind turbine blades from being manufactured, transported, and deployed at scale. WETO is using this feedback to understand real-world cost, risk, and feasibility tradeoffs across different solution pathways and to identify where federal research and development (R&D) could have the biggest impact.
Why is DOE focusing on blade transportation and logistics?
DOE highlights that blade size is increasingly constrained less by design goals and more by transportation realities. As blades get longer, road and rail infrastructure can become a bottleneck due to turning radii limits, bridge clearances, weight limits, permitting complexity, escort requirements, and route availability. These constraints can raise costs, delay schedules, and limit where high-performing turbines can be installed.
What kinds of challenges is WETO asking stakeholders to describe?
WETO is asking stakeholders to describe key field challenges and, where possible, to quantify or characterize major cost drivers. The emphasis is on real-world barriers affecting manufacturing, movement, and deployment of supersized land-based blades, especially issues tied to transport infrastructure and logistics.
What are the "pathways to success" included in the RFI?
The RFI outlines several broad pathways where DOE wants input: onsite blade manufacturing or onsite assembly (to avoid transporting extremely long components), transportation and logistics innovations (methods, equipment, or approaches to move longer blades through existing corridors), and hybrid approaches combining local manufacturing/assembly with improved transportation solutions.
What is meant by onsite blade manufacturing or onsite assembly?
This pathway refers to producing blades near or at the wind plant (or assembling them onsite) to reduce or eliminate the need to move very long blades across public roads and rail networks.
What is meant by transportation and logistics innovations?
This pathway focuses on new methods, equipment, or approaches that make it easier to transport longer blades using existing transportation corridors, helping address issues like tight turns, clearance limits, permitting burdens, escort requirements, and route constraints.
What is meant by hybrid approaches?
Hybrid approaches combine elements of local manufacturing/assembly with improved transportation solutions. The RFI notes these approaches may balance factors such as capital investment, workforce needs, production quality control, and logistical risk.
What is DOE trying to learn by comparing different pathways?
DOE is looking for insights into what is technically and economically realistic, which barriers are the most stubborn, and what would need to change for large-scale adoption of solutions that enable deployment of larger land-based blades.
What input is DOE seeking regarding federal R&D investment?
WETO is explicitly seeking guidance on where federal R&D could be most impactful. Respondents are encouraged to identify specific technology gaps, engineering problems, manufacturing process needs, materials considerations, testing and validation requirements, or systems-level integration issues that are difficult for industry or academia to solve efficiently on their own.
What outcomes is DOE aiming for by enabling larger land-based blades?
The intent is to help DOE prioritize high-leverage R&D topics that could reduce cost, improve manufacturability, improve reliability, or remove deployment barriers for next-generation blades, ultimately supporting lower-cost, more competitive wind energy on land.
Is there funding available through this listing?
No. Although the listing is categorized under discretionary opportunities and the funding instrument type is listed as "Other," DOE states it is not offering awards and is not accepting applications.
Who was eligible to respond to the RFI?
Eligibility to submit information was effectively unrestricted, meaning any type of entity could provide input, subject to any clarifications contained in the full RFI text.
How were responses submitted?
Responses were required to be submitted electronically by email to WindEnergyRFI@ee.doe.gov.
What was the submission deadline?
The deadline to submit responses was 5:00 PM Eastern Time on June 11, 2018.
Will DOE answer questions about this RFI?
DOE stated that EERE would not respond to questions and that the RFI was solely an information-gathering request.
Where were the official RFI details and instructions posted?
The complete RFI details and any official instructions were provided through the EERE Exchange website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.
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