National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Subcontracts Section, M/S 1320-15/2, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401-3393

A -- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT - SMALL WIND TURBINE PROJECT Sol Synopsis No. 5-362. POC William L. Algiene, Staff Subcontract Administrator, 303-275-3167, Neil Wikstrom, Group Leader, Subcontracts Section (303) 275-3173. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is soliciting comments on its proposed approach to a cost-shared, industry-government project to develop small wind turbine systems. The goal of the Small Wind Turbine project is to help U.S. industry develop cost-effective, high reliability small wind turbine systems for both the domestic and international wind energy markets. These small wind turbine systems, rated from 10 to 40 kW, shall be tailored for a wide range of commercial applications in moderate-to-low wind sites. Background: The DOE Wind Energy Program and the U.S. wind industry have made development of technologically advanced, high efficiency wind turbines a high priority. The Small Wind Turbine (SWT) project is a component of DOE's Turbine Development Program, which is aimed at assisting industry in the design, development, and testing of new, utility-grade and small-scale wind turbine systems for global wind energy markets. The overall goal of the Turbine Development Program is to develop wind turbine systems that can compete with conventional electric generation for $0.05/kWh by the mid-1990s and less than $0.04/kWh by the year 2000 at moderate wind speed sites. The Small Wind Turbine project will be undertaken to stimulate application of advanced technology in that portion of the industry that serves specialized markets requiring turbines in the sizes from 10 to 40 kW. Such systems may be deployed in a range of high value end-use applications in moderate-to-low wind sites, often remote or off-grid, which require high availability over extended periods of unattended operation. The DOE program has developed technology that could significantly reduce the costs of these turbines while enhancing their reliability. The SWT project will foster a joint industry/DOE effort to bring new technology to small turbines, in much the same way that the program is working to enhance larger utility-grade turbines. Solicitation Plan: The solicitation plan for the SWT project is comprised of a process involving a Request-for-Proposals (RFP) and the resulting responses, evaluations, negotiations and subcontract awards. The RFP, which is scheduled for release in summer 1995, will require an offeror to submit a technical proposal to describe its small wind turbine concept in sufficient detail to be understood and evaluated by a group of knowledgeable reviewers. Offerors will also be asked to submit the following: 1) justification for the proposed system based on assessment of potential markets, 2) business plans, including potential industry partnerships which will lead to full production and commercialization, and 3) an estimated budget and schedule for prototype development through the testing process. Offerors should attempt to limit their proposals to approximately 20 pages in length. Proposals will be evaluated based on technical feasibility, projected cost effectiveness and reliability, business plan, financial capability, and likelihood of achieving program goals and objectives. Up to $3 million of DOE funds will be available to support 2-3 awards for a 30 month period of performance, with a direct cost-sharing minimum of 20% and a target of 50% required of the offeror. The scope of this project will be to design, fabricate, and test prototype small wind turbine systems. It will emphasize an iterative design process, including formal reviews at the end of each project stage and rigorous qualification and field tests to verify the system design. The first stage will develop preliminary and detailed designs for the prototype turbine. Stage two will complete qualification tests on components and subsystems, then incorporate design modifications into a final prototype design. Stage three will fabricate one ``proof-of-concept'' turbine for acceptance testing at the National Wind Technology Center. The acceptance tests will verify the performance and structural integrity of the turbine design. Stage four will refine the final design and fabricate two prototype turbines for reliability testing. These tests will provide data to assess the cost-effectiveness and long-term reliability of the turbine design. One prototype will be tested at a site chosen by the offeror. The site for the second prototype will be determined by NREL, and may be based on demonstrating suitability for military applications, which are expected to represent a significant component of the market for advanced small wind turbine systems. One or more applications will be chosen by the offeror for the reliability tests. Primary applications will include: 1) grid-connected, 2) off-grid electrification (hybrid system, battery charging, isolated residential power systems, diesel displacement on rural diesel mini-grids, small village power systems, single facility power systems), and 3) dedicated end-uses (water pumping, ice making, water desalination, grain milling, etc.). The reliability tests will verify the capability of the turbine to meet certain design specifications chosen to confirm that the turbine system will be suitable for the expected range of applications, including: extreme operating gust of 70 m/s (156 mph); severe operating environment with high humidity, sale air, fine sand or dust, and temperature range from -30 degrees C to 60 degrees C; system life of 20 years; transportability in a standard shipping container. While figures of merit and methods for their determination have not yet been finalized, the turbine will also be evaluated against cost, performance, and reliability criteria during the test period. Expressions of Interest: The purpose of this pre-solicitation notice is to obtain comments and an indication of the level of interest of prospective industry participants in cost-sharing a small wind turbine development project as described in the Solicitation Plan. Therefore, expressions of interest are sought from potential respondents to the forthcoming RFP and comments on proposed solicitation plan and scope of work are sought from all interested parties. Failure to respond to this notice will not disqualify anyone from participating in the solicitation, but those that do respond to this notice are assured of receiving the RFP and notification of related activities, if they indicate the interest. Expressions of interest should not include detailed proposals or proprietary technical or cost information, but should include the following information: 1) the names, addresses, telephone numbers, facsimile numbers of the primary contact person and key collaborators, 2) the potential participants, their affiliations and their proposed roles, 3) comments on the proposed plan, scope of work, cost-sharing and funding level, and 4) a statement indicating whether or not the respondent wishes to receive a copy of the RFP. Responses to this notice should not exceed five pages, should be received at NREL by April 28, 1995, and should be forwarded to William L. Algiene at the above address. This is not a request for proposals. (086)

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