This $5.75 million prize was launched by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) to pave the way for the cost-effective domestic manufacturing and deployment of commercial utility-scale floating offshore wind energy turbines in U.S. waters. WETO’s first-ever prize, the FLOWIN Prize, supports the Biden administration’s goal to decarbonize the U.S. electricity grid by 2035 and achieve a net zero economy by 2050. In addition, the prize aims to further the principles of inclusion and environmental justice embodied in the administration’s Justice40 Initiative by requiring competitors to indicate how their long-range manufacturing and supply chain development plans can benefit disadvantaged and underserved communities.
Prize Phases
Phase One: Qualification and Teaming
- The winning submissions will be those teams that have:
- Determined critical hurdles to the commercialization of their floating platform technology.
- Demonstrated they can make significant progress toward identifying and developing a supply chain within the United States to produce the technology.
- Up to eight winning teams will receive $100,000 each in cash and $75,000 each in vouchers for technical support provided by DOE national laboratories.
Phase Two: U.S. Manufacturing Approaches
- Only Phase One winners are eligible to compete in this phase.
- This phase will have up to five winners, each receiving a cash prize of $450,000 and a technical services voucher valued at $100,000.
- Teams will be judged on their progress in developing a plan for mass production and assembly of floating offshore wind energy platforms.
Phase Three: Detailed Implementation Pathways
- This phase is only open to Phase Two winners.
- It is anticipated there will be up to three winners in Phase Three, each receiving a cash prize of $900,000.
- Winners of this phase will complete location-specific implementation pathways for the U.S. manufacture and deployment of their floating offshore wind energy technologies.
$6.85 million in cash prizes and in-kind support
The FLOWIN total prize pool is $5.75 million in cash, with up to $1.1 million in vouchers for technical support from DOE national laboratories. Prizes will be divided among multiple awardees and awards will be made for each phase. Only winning teams will be eligible to compete for the next phase.
Awards:- $6.85M in Cash Awards and Vouchers
Deadline:- 14-01-2023
