Webinars

Applications are open for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Tribal Nation Offshore Wind Transmission Technical Assistance Program. This program was developed to support Tribal engagement in offshore wind transmission. We are hosting an informational webinar about the program on April 10, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET and are reaching out to see if your organization would be willing to share this information with your network.

Program offerings include:

• Educational resources: Tribal members are invited to attend educational events, webinars, and in-person and virtual trainings to learn about the fundamentals of offshore wind transmission and development.
• Expert Match: Tribes can consult directly with laboratory experts and receive customized data, modeling and analysis support, policy and regulatory review, and more.
• Participation Support: Tribal members and staff can request funding to attend offshore wind transmission events. Eligible events include those hosted by federal or state agencies and/or national laboratories.

Federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and Villages can learn more and apply today: https://bit.ly/GDOTribalOSW.

Are you considering wind to meet your local energy needs? To serve your business, farm, home, or community? Join us for this one-hour webinar to learn about the U.S. Department of Energy’s new National Distributed Wind Network. A trusted source for information, the Network will offer support and inspiration for distributed wind installation efforts nationwide through in-person and virtual events and best-in-class resources published on the newly established Distributed Wind Resource Hub. The webinar will also highlight how the Network will support the Rural and Agricultural Income & Savings from Renewable Energy (RAISE) Initiative. RAISE is a new partnership of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Energy that focuses on cost savings and revenue generation for rural small businesses, farmers, and electric cooperatives. Register to attend the virtual webinar.

Missed the event? Watch the recording and view the presentation.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy will conduct an informational webinar on March 14, 2024. (1–3:30 p.m. MT) to provide information on the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to potential applicants. In addition to describing the FOA, information will be provided on who is eligible to apply, what an application needs to include, cost share and other requirements, how to ask questions, and how applications will be selected for funding. If you are unable to attend the webinar, it will be recorded and posted for later viewing.

In this webinar, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's WINDExchange initiative, experts from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the wind energy industry will introduce attendees to community benefit agreements and related funds and investments. These are voluntary mechanisms that developers may use to deliver additional financial and/or nonfinancial benefits to communities impacted by wind energy projects. Community benefits can come in different forms, be developed through diverse processes, and have varying impacts on key outcomes in the wind energy industry, including project success and equity. This webinar explores the nuances of community benefits from multiple angles and provides insights that are relevant to land-based wind energy, offshore wind energy, and other renewable energy technologies.

Missed the webinar? Watch the recording on the WINDExchange YouTube playlist and follow along in the presentation slide deck.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, is hosting a series of meetings to facilitate conversations about the benefits and challenges of increased clean energy siting on agricultural land and in rural communities.

Register to participate in one of the stakeholder-specific listening sessions:

• Government Permitting and Policy Representatives on Jan. 12, 2024, at 12:30–2 p.m. ET.
• Agricultural Producers on Jan. 16, 2024, at 10–11:30 a.m. ET.
• All Stakeholders and Members Of The Public on Jan. 16, 2024, at 2:30–4 p.m. ET.
• Rural Electric Coops and Clean Energy Developers on Jan. 17, 2024, at 3–4:30 p.m. ET.

The U.S. Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research (SEER) project is hosting a free, public webinar on Environmental Considerations for Nearshore Ecosystems from Cable Landfall, Navigation, and Port Development for Offshore Wind Energy.

During the webinar, speakers from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Aspen Environmental Group, and Moffatt & Nichol will present on the environmental considerations needed for the development of offshore wind energy and its potential effects on nearshore ecosystems, including effects from cable landfall, navigation, and port development.

Register for the SEER webinar.

Advances in technologies and infrastructure for monitoring bats and birds offshore can help inform wind farm siting and potential mitigation. This webinar from the U.S. Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research project will present innovative technological approaches being used to monitor bat and bird occurrence, distribution, and movement in offshore environments.

Learn more about the webinar and register via Zoom.

Join the U.S. Department of Energy’s WINDExchange initiative for a webinar on the ways offshore wind energy projects can affect the communities near where they are sited. An expert panel will discuss the benefits and challenges offshore wind energy development brings to the diverse groups who share the area, like coastal communities or local businesses. Speakers will include Alison Bates (assistant professor of Environmental Studies at Colby College), Jacob Miller (tribal liaison for Vineyard Offshore), and Benjamin Gallinelli (vice president of the Southern New Jersey Development Council).

Register to join the webinar—even if you can’t make the live event! After the webinar, we’ll send the recording to all registrants.

Update: Registration now closed. Watch a recording of the webinar.

At the direction of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory are jointly leading the U.S. Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research (SEER) project, a multiyear collaborative effort designed to facilitate knowledge transfer for offshore wind environmental research around the world.

As part of this effort, the SEER team is hosting a series of free, public webinars to share the latest research on the potential environmental effects of offshore wind energy development, including minimization and monitoring strategies. Each webinar will feature brief presentations from experts, a panel discussion, and an audience Q&A period.

The first of four webinars, Regional Surveys to Improve Understanding of Ecosystems and Relevance to Offshore Wind Energy Development, will take place 1 a.m.-12 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. The goal of this is to provide a review and updates on ecosystem-level, “big picture” considerations for large-scale surveys to inform the occurrence, distribution, habitat use and movement of marine mammals, fish, seabirds, and sea turtles offshore. This webinar will explore ongoing and upcoming wildlife surveys across U.S. regions highlighting currently funded and emerging efforts, how they build on historical efforts, and how data collected can be used to develop predictive density models for species and population level understanding in offshore habitats. The primary focus of this webinar is to explore the relationship between these survey efforts and offshore wind development in the U.S.
Speakers:

• Joy Page (U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office)
• Andy Lipsky (U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries)
• Tim White (U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management)
• Pat Halpin (Duke University, Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab)
• Moderated by Rebecca Green (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) and Michael Richlen (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory).

All webinar recordings will be made available on Tethys and emailed to registrants.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs issued a funding opportunity (FOA) announcement for $15 million to transition tribal colleges and universities to clean energy. Awards from this FOA range from $100,000 to $250,000 for planning grants and from $250,000 to $4 million for deployment grants. The U.S. Department of Energy anticipates issuing approximately 10 to 25 awards under this FOA.

Applications are due July 27, 2023, at 5 p.m. ET.

The Office of Indian Energy will host an informational webinar on April 27, 2023 (3–5 p.m. ET), to provide interested applicants with more information about the FOA and how to apply. Register for the informational webinar.

Building the Case for Hybrid Distributed Energy Developments
Join Idaho National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with support from our academic and industry partners, for a 2-day webinar to learn more about the benefits of hybrid energy systems, considerations for designing the right system for your community, and practical tools that can help with the design and development process.

In this webinar, you will learn about tools and resources to make a hybrid energy system development plan and understand how a good design can help secure investments, including infrastructure funding from the federal government. This webinar will focus on how to use value streams and system constraints and resilience goals to inform decision making for the proposed system.

This free event is open to the public and will take place virtually at 10 a.m.–12 p.m. MT on both Tuesday, April 4, 2023, and Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Register for this webinar with Idaho National Laboratory.

Discussion Topics
*Benefits of Hybrid Systems: Resilience and regional and community benefits
*Tool and Resources: How can I design a system that works for me and my stakeholders?
*Valuation framework
*Resilience framework
*Hybrid design
*Wind resource analysis tools
*Opportunities
*Technical assistance
*Funding

In this webinar, the Office of Indian Energy will highlight its current funding opportunities and technical assistance opportunities. Guest speakers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will share information on funding available to tribes, including:

• U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service and Rural Business and Cooperative Service Inflation Reduction Act Programs
• Tribal Home Energy Rebates Program
• Clean Energy to Communities Program
• Energizing Rural Communities Prize grants and loans for renewable energy and infrastructure.

Learn more at the Office of Indian Energy.

Missed the webinar? Watch the recording.

Join the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office’s WINDExchange initiative for a webinar on the current state and future needs of the U.S. offshore wind energy workforce and supply chain.

During this webinar, National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers Matt Shields and Jeremy Stefek will present new research on the challenges of producing thousands of offshore wind energy technology components while creating tens of thousands of U.S. jobs—and the solutions that can help meet those challenges.

Register to attend the webinar—even if you can’t make the live event! After the webinar, we’ll send the recording to all registrants.

Update on March 27, 2023: Registration is closed and the event has passed. You can now watch the recording from this webinar via YouTube or review the slides.

The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute and National Renewable Energy Laboratory are hosting a Technology and Innovation in Wind and Wildlife webinar series in January and February 2023, broken down by topic into four hour-long events:

• Jan. 26, 2023, 3–4 p.m. ET, Virtual: The Future of Wind Energy Technology and Wildlife Considerations
• Jan. 31, 2023, 3–4 p.m. ET, Virtual: Technology Acceptance Workshop Results: From the Bench to the Field
• Feb. 9, 2023, 4–5 p.m. ET, Virtual: Technology Acceptance Workshop Results: Acceptance
• Feb. 16, 2023, 2–3 p.m. ET, Virtual: Wind Wildlife Research Meeting Technology & Innovation Discussions Continued.

This Feb. 16, 2023, event will synthesize the discussions at the WWRM, as well as the lessons learned and outcomes from those discussions. It will also identify a path forward for wind energy and wildlife technologies.

Speakers include:

• Taber Allison, Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (Moderator)
• Sarah Fritts, Texas State University
• Adam Rusk, Stantec
• Greg Forcey, Normandeau Associates, Inc.
• Jennifer Stucker, Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc..

The U.S. Department of Energy Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program offers in-depth technical partnerships that support communities in developing secure, reliable, resilient, and affordable clean energy systems. Applications opened Feb. 15, 2023, and are due by May 17, 2023.

Communities selected for in-depth partnerships will have:

• A dedicated point of contact within the national lab system
• Direct grant funding to support hiring staff or consultants
• Facilitation and community engagement support
• Extensive technical support from the DOE national laboratory complex.

C2C program in-depth technical partnerships will focus broadly on cross-sectoral issues related to renewable energy, mobility, and buildings. Energy security, resilience, and disaster preparedness—as well as energy equity and environmental justice—will be considered, too.

Learn more by watching the recorded kick-off webinar from Feb. 1, 2023.

The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute and National Renewable Energy Laboratory are hosting a Technology and Innovation in Wind and Wildlife webinar series in January and February 2023, broken down by topic into four hour-long events:

• Jan. 26, 2023, 3–4 p.m. ET, Virtual: The Future of Wind Energy Technology and Wildlife Considerations
• Jan. 31, 2023, 3–4 p.m. ET, Virtual: Technology Acceptance Workshop Results: From the Bench to the Field
• Feb. 9, 2023, 4–5 p.m. ET, Virtual: Technology Acceptance Workshop Results: Acceptance
• Feb. 16, 2023, 2–3 p.m. ET, Virtual: Wind Wildlife Research Meeting Technology & Innovation Discussions Continued.

This Feb. 9, 2023, event will focus on technologies that monitor and minimize wildlife impacts and take at wind energy facilities face uncertain paths to acceptance. The meaning of acceptance can differ depending on the stakeholder, and it is important to use a common language across industry, regulatory agencies, and researchers. This webinar synthesizes the discussions that occurred at the Technology Acceptance Workshop, hosted by the Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the Spring of 2022. Lessons learned, outcomes from those discussions, and paths forward for wind energy and wildlife technologies will be explored.

Speakers include:

• Cris Hein, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Moderator)
• Ben Cowan, Locke Lord LLP
• Amanda Hale, Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc.
• Amber Schorg, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Stu Webster, American Clean Power Association.

The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute and National Renewable Energy Laboratory are hosting a Technology and Innovation in Wind and Wildlife webinar series in January and February 2023, broken down by topic into four hour-long events:

• Jan. 26, 2023, 3–4 p.m. ET, Virtual: The Future of Wind Energy Technology and Wildlife Considerations
• Jan. 31, 2023, 3–4 p.m. ET, Virtual: Technology Acceptance Workshop Results: From the Bench to the Field
• Feb. 9, 2023, 4–5 p.m. ET, Virtual: Technology Acceptance Workshop Results: Acceptance
• Feb. 16, 2023, 2–3 p.m. ET, Virtual: Wind Wildlife Research Meeting Technology & Innovation Discussions Continued.

In this Jan. 31, 2023, event, minimization and monitoring technology vendors share their experiences and lessons learned about how new technologies are developed from early to late-stage testing to validation studies at commercial wind energy facilities. Building on the Technology Acceptance Workshop, hosted by the Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the Spring of 2022, this webinar will convene technology vendors to explore challenges to integrating market-ready wind-wildlife minimization technologies that come from timing mismatches in permitting, stakeholder input, project funding, and technology lifespan.

Speakers include:

• Isabel Gottlieb, Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (Moderator)
• Carlos Jorquera, IdentiFlight
• Brogan Morton, Wildlife Imaging Systems
• Anupam Sharma, Iowa State University.

The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute and National Renewable Energy Laboratory are hosting a Technology and Innovation in Wind and Wildlife webinar series in January and February 2023, broken down by topic into four hour-long events:

• Jan. 26, 2023, 3–4 p.m. ET, Virtual: The Future of Wind Energy Technology and Wildlife Considerations
• Jan. 31, 2023, 3–4 p.m. ET, Virtual: Technology Acceptance Workshop Results: From the Bench to the Field
• Feb. 9, 2023, 4–5 p.m. ET, Virtual: Technology Acceptance Workshop Results: Acceptance
• Feb. 16, 2023, 2–3 p.m. ET, Virtual: Wind Wildlife Research Meeting Technology & Innovation Discussions Continued.

This Jan. 26, 2023, event will focus on the state and direction of land-based wind turbine technology and its implications for wildlife. As wind turbines grow in size, including taller hub heights and longer blades, and become more efficient at relatively low wind speed conditions, the types of wildlife impacted and the nature of those impacts may change. Changing turbine technology will also likely change how we monitor and minimize wind energy and wildlife interactions.

Speakers include:

• Shilo Felton, Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (Moderator)
• Eric Lantz, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Misti Sporer, Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions
• Sara Weaver, Bowman

The previous two years of the Biden Administration unleashed an unprecedented amount of funding and incentives for climate change solutions.

Join the first session of the 2023 Office of Indian Energy Tribal Energy Webinar Series and learn about some of the current federal funding opportunities available for tribes and tribal energy projects.

The Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization is hosting a three-part webinar series highlighting federal and nonfederal technical assistance opportunities to benefit energy communities.

The third webinar will highlight nonfederal technical assistance programs.

Learn more and register for the webinars.

The Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization is hosting a three-part webinar series highlighting federal and nonfederal technical assistance opportunities to benefit energy communities.

The second webinar will focus on the thriving communities and environmental justice programs led by the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Learn more and register for the three webinars.

The Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization is hosting a three-part webinar series highlighting federal and nonfederal technical assistance opportunities to benefit energy communities.

The first webinar will focus on the federal READY Appalachia and Rural Partners Network technical assistance programs. Experts will delve into the details of these programs and how energy communities can access them.

Learn more and register for the three webinars.

It is critical that companies and organizations working in the U.S. offshore wind market understand the developing U.S. offshore wind compliance standards. Join the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, at 11 a.m. ET, for a one-hour webinar to learn about the national offshore wind standards initiative and its objectives. There will also be an overview of the five guidance documents and their release dates. The five offshore wind recommended practice documents are:

1. Offshore Compliance Recommended Practices (OCRP), Edition 2 (Approved)

2. U.S. Floating Wind Systems Recommended Practices

3. U.S. Offshore Wind Metocean Conditions Characterization

4. U.S. Recommended Practices for Geotechnical and Geophysical Investigations and Design

5. U.S. Recommended Practices for Submarine Cables

These guidance documents consider the unique offshore conditions on the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS) and state waterways (e.g., Great Lakes). They provide guidance for offshore wind projects, covering a range of project implementation activities, including project design, construction and deployment practices, operation, safety, and decommissioning, while anticipating the new and evolving nature of offshore wind technology.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy will conduct an informational webinar on Nov. 29, 2022, (3 p.m. ET) to provide information on the Clean Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands 2022 (DE-FOA-0002774) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to potential applicants.

In addition to describing the FOA, information will be provided on who is eligible to apply, what an application needs to include, cost share and other requirements, how to ask questions, and how applications will be selected for funding.

If you are unable to attend the webinar, it will be recorded and posted for later viewing.

Read the announcement about this FOA.

In this webinar, wind energy experts presented a high-level summary of decision-making processes for offshore wind energy siting and permitting. As part of WINDExchange’s Offshore Wind Energy Basics webinar series, this webinar focused on the points at which community leaders, property owners, coastal residents, and other local stakeholders can meaningfully engage with these processes.

Attendees learned about offshore wind decision-making processes at the federal, state, and local level, as well as how to connect the dots across agencies and processes. This helps prepare attendees for the next webinar in this series, which will highlight additional opportunities for community engagement in the offshore wind energy development process.

Registration for this webinar is now closed. Missed this event? Watch the webinar recording!

Speakers at the webinar, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office’s WINDExchange initiative, represented the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Rhode Island, and the Special Initiative for Offshore Wind and included:

• Karen Baker, chief of the Office of Renewable Energy Programs at the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
• Jennifer McCann, director of U.S. Coastal Programs at the University of Rhode Island
• Kris Ohleth, executive director at the Special Initiative for Offshore Wind
• Suzanne MacDonald, senior researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Working Together to Resolve Environmental Effects of Wind Energy (WREN) is developing a free, online Wind Energy Monitoring and Mitigation Technologies Tool to serve as a reference of available technologies for monitoring and mitigating the environmental effects of land-based and offshore wind energy development. To officially launch the tool, WREN is hosting a short, instructional webinar on Sept. 21, 2022, at 8-8:30 a.m. PT (3:00-3:30 p.m. UTC). Register now.

Want to elevate your understanding of offshore wind energy technology?

In this webinar, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s WINDExchange initiative, offshore wind energy experts from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the University of Massachusetts Amherst will discuss below-the-water offshore wind energy technology, including foundations and cables. Specific aspects of offshore wind energy that are covered by the final webinar in NREL’s Offshore Wind Technology Basics series include fixed bottom turbines, floating turbines, mooring lines for floating turbines, cabling options and installation, and decommissioning. This virtual event will also address the technology options and development considerations for diverse seafloor and oceanographic characteristics.

Join us to also discover more about the technology options and development considerations for diverse seafloor and oceanographic characteristics. Register now and build your offshore wind knowledge as this industry grows! Can’t join the live event? Register anyway! After the webinar, we’ll send the recording to all registrants. Now, you can view the recording.

This Zoom-based webinar will feature the just-released Distributed Wind Energy Futures Study. National Renewable Energy Laboratory analysts will discuss the technical and economic potential of distributed wind applications from the kilowatt to community scale in behind-the-meter applications and when interconnected directly into the distribution system. In addition, the presenters will consider opportunities for distributed wind energy in disadvantaged communities and for agricultural, commercial and industrial, and residential lands specifically. Overall, this webinar will illuminate the important role that distributed wind energy can play in support of energy transition.

UPDATE: Missed the event? Catch up with the webinar slides and/or presentation.