CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES AT THE INTERFACE OF WIND ENERGY AND RADAR TECHNOLOGY | DE FOA 0003166

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003166

The Department of Energy (DOE), through its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and the Golden Field Office, released this notice as a Request for Information (RFI) focused on the real-world friction point between wind energy deployment and radar systems. The core aim is to gather practical, experience-based input from the public so DOE can make better decisions about how to implement parts of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), that relate to wind energy and associated infrastructure challenges. Even though it appears in the same ecosystem as funding opportunities, this particular posting is not a grant competition and it is not seeking project proposals.

What DOE is trying to learn falls into four main buckets. First, the RFI asks for details on siting challenges that wind developers face when proposed turbines may interfere with radar, including the kinds of radar involved (for example, weather radar, aviation radar, defense-related systems, or other surveillance and tracking radars), how these conflicts show up during permitting and consultation, and how they affect project timelines, costs, and feasibility. This is essentially about where wind can and cannot be built efficiently, and what specific radar-related constraints are preventing development in otherwise strong wind resource areas.

Second, DOE is seeking information on mitigation technologies and approaches that reduce or manage wind turbine radar interference, whether those solutions are implemented on the radar side, the turbine side, or through coordinated operational practices. Responses can cover existing commercial options as well as technologies still under development. In practice, that could include hardware changes, signal processing upgrades, radar software improvements, turbine design adaptations, operational curtailment strategies, improved modeling tools, or any combination of these. DOE is looking for what works, what is promising, what is technically limited, and what is realistically deployable at scale.

Third, the RFI focuses heavily on commercialization and adoption. DOE wants feedback not just on technical feasibility, but on what it takes for mitigation measures to move from demonstrations and pilot deployments into routine use across the wind industry and radar owner communities. That includes barriers like cost and cost-sharing, unclear ownership of the problem (who pays and who benefits), procurement hurdles, certification and validation needs, regulatory acceptance, data access restrictions, coordination among federal agencies and private developers, and the speed at which radar operators can upgrade equipment or software. In other words, DOE is asking what is currently slowing down widespread adoption and what interventions might realistically accelerate it.

Fourth, DOE is explicitly asking respondents to consider BIL provisions and requirements, including Buy America requirements. This is meant to surface any practical constraints related to domestic content rules and federal compliance obligations that could affect how mitigation technologies are manufactured, sourced, procured, and deployed. The point is to understand how statutory requirements intersect with the supply chain realities for radar and wind components, and whether those requirements create bottlenecks or opportunities for domestic manufacturing and deployment.

A key detail is that this is strictly an information-gathering effort, not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). There is no funding attached, no awards will be made, and DOE will not pay for preparing or submitting responses. The posting lists an award ceiling of $0 and expected awards of 0 to reinforce that no financial assistance is available through this notice. DOE also emphasizes that it may or may not issue a future FOA after reviewing the input it receives, so the RFI is best understood as a way for DOE to shape future programs, priorities, and possibly future competitive funding design, rather than an opportunity to apply for a grant right now.

Eligibility is effectively open (listed as unrestricted), which signals DOE is willing to hear from a wide range of stakeholders such as wind developers, turbine manufacturers, radar manufacturers, aviation and defense stakeholders, weather and atmospheric science groups, researchers, utilities, consultants, state and local entities, and others with relevant experience. The activity category is energy and it is associated with CFDA number 81.087.

Responses had to be submitted by email as attachments to WindEnergyRFI@ee.doe.gov, with a deadline of 5:00 pm Eastern Time on Friday, January 12, 2024. The full RFI document and any detailed response instructions were hosted on the EERE Exchange website (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov).

• The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES AT THE INTERFACE OF WIND ENERGY AND RADAR TECHNOLOGY" 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 2023-11-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-01-12. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for DE FOA 0003166

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