Materials Challenges in Wind and
Water Power Technologies
February, 2012
1 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
Megan McCluer &
Jim Ahlgrimm
Wind and Water Power Program
U.S. Department of Energy
eere.energy.gov
Outline
•
•
•
•
•
DOE Wind and Water Power Program
Overview of Wind Technology
Overview of Water Technology
Materials Challenges
Summary
2 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Wind and Water Power Program
Structure
Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy
(EERE)
Wind and Water
Power
Program
Water Power
Wind Power
Marine
Hydrokinetic
Conventional
Hydropower
3 | Wind and Water Power Program
Wind (land
and
offshore)
eere.energy.gov
Wind and Water Power Program
Jose Zayas
Wind and Water Power
Program Manager
4 | Wind and Water Power Program
4
eere.energy.gov
Administration & DOE Priorities
White
House
DOE
EERE
WWPP
• Generate 80% of the nations’ electricity from clean energy sources by 2035
• Reduce carbon emissions 80% by 2050
• Stimulate jobs and economic recovery through RE development
• Promote energy security through reliable, clean, and affordable energy
• Strengthening scientific discovery and economic competitiveness through science and technology
innovation
• Invest in clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce
dependence on foreign oil
• Improve the performance, lower the costs, and accelerate deployment of innovative wind and water
power technologies
The mission of the Wind and Water Power Program is to enable U.S.
deployment of clean, affordable, reliable and domestic wind and water
power to promote national security, economic growth, and environmental
quality.
5 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Wind and Water
Deployment Scenarios
20% Wind Scenario
300
Cumulative Installed Capacity (GW)
15% Water Scenario
Marine and Hydrokinetics
Advanced PSH
New Hydro (news sites and constructed waterways)
200
Non-Powered Dams
Existing Hydropower Fleet (plus upgrades)
100
0
2000
2006
2012
2018
2024
2030
300
Offshore
200
100
Land-based
Actual Installed Capacity
0
2000
2006
2012
2018
2024
2030
Large-scale deployment will require innovation, including materials R&D, to
reduce the cost of energy to become competitive with traditional sources
6 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Land Based Wind Energy
• 40 GW installed
domestically
• 8,000 GW of
economical landbased resource
• 4,000 GW of offshore
resource
• Lack of transmission &
siting barriers push
developers to build in
lower-quality wind
regimes
 decreasing capacity
factor
 increasing LCOE
7 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Geographic Spread of Wind Power
Projects in the United States
8
8 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Offshore Wind Resources
Great Lakes: 734 GW
Atlantic:
1256 GW
Pacific:
930 GW
Proposed
project
Hawaii: 637 GW
Gulf Coast: 594 GW
Total gross resource potential does not consider exclusion zones or siting concerns
9 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
No Offshore Projects Have Been Built in the U.S., But 9 Projects Have
Advanced Significantly in Permitting and Development
10 | Wind and Water Power Program
10
eere.energy.gov
Marine and Hydrokinetics
Wave Resource Assessment
900+ GW Gross Physical Potential
Wave Energy is the dominant MHK resource available to the United States
11 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Marine and Hydrokinetics
Tidal Resource
6 GW exist in
close proximity to
major coastal load
centers
90% of the overall
resource (54 GW)
is in Alaska.
12 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
R&D Funding Opportunities
BUDGET
FY 2012
Wind
$93M
Water
$59M
Primary Funding Mechanisms:
• EERE funding: eere.energy.gov/financing
Additional DOE funding mechanisms:
• ARPA-E:
arpa-e-foa.energy.gov
• Office of Science: www.er.doe.gov/grants
• Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
science.energy.gov/sbir
13 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Outline
•
•
•
•
•
DOE Wind and Water Power Program
Overview of Wind Technology
Overview of Water Technology
Materials Challenges
Summary
14 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Wind Power Technology Segments
Small and Midsized Wind
(<1MW)
Land-based Utility
Wind Turbines
Offshore Wind
Improving reliability and performance of land-based systems and demonstrating
innovative offshore technology.
15 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Wind Technology Development
16 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Outline
•
•
•
•
•
DOE Wind and Water Power Program
Overview of Wind Technology
Overview of Water Technology
Materials Challenges
Summary
17 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Water Power Program
Marine and Hydrokinetics
Wave
Tidal
Ocean
Current
Instream
Hydrokinetic
Ocean
Thermal
A range of marine resources, each with its own set of unique
characteristics and challenges…
A wide variety of technology types and device designs…
None yet mature nor optimized for performance
18 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Why Pursue MHK Technologies?
MHK resources are within close proximity to coastal load centers
MHK resources are highly predictable , forecastable and vary slowly
MHK Technologies are taking advantage of wind’s experience
U.S. Highest Population Areas
Graphic Credit: Bruce Bailey AWS Truewind
19 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology
Development and Variety
5-10 Years Ago
20 | Wind and Water Power Program
Ocean Energy Today
eere.energy.gov
DOE-SPONSORED MHK PROJECTS AND
TECHOLOGY READINESS LEVELS
TRL 1-3
Wave
• Point Absorber
• Attenuator
• OWC
• Air Turbine
Current
• Ocean
• Tidal
• In-Stream
• Turbines
• Gears / Generator
TRL 4-6
TRL 7-8
TRL 9
Northwest
Energy
Innovations
Resolute1
Whitestone
Power &
Communications
Dehlsen
Dehlsen
Power Transmission
Vortex Hydro
Energy
Moorings & Anchorage
OTEC
• Cold Water Pipe
• Ht Ex
21 | Wind and Water Power Program
Scientific
Solutions
eere.energy.gov
Conventional Hydropower
Installed US Capacity
United States:
• 7% of Electric
Production in 2009
• 78 GW Conventional
Hydropower
• Of this, 1,101 plants
<5 MW totaling 1.64
GW
Build Time
pre 1900
1900 - 1929
1930 - 1939
1940 - 1949
1950 - 1969
1970 - 1989
Worldwide:
• 16% of Electric
Production
• 723 GW
1990 - 2008
Hydropower is currently the nation’s largest source of renewable energy, representing 7%
of total US electricity production, and comprising 70% of all renewable energy generation.
22 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Conventional Hydropower
Status of the Existing Fleet
The status of the
existing fleet
demonstrates the
potential to modernize
hydropower for
additional capacity,
flexibility and generation
Median Ages
Francis
51Total
GW US
53
2,565 Units
Non-Federal
58
52.5%
29.5 GW
36.8%
8.2 GW
54.6%
18.4 GW
41.9%
8.1 GW
Reclamation
49
49.8%
4.1 GW
8.2%
.058 GW
Corps
44
37.2%
6.1 GW
0.3%
.002 GW
TVA
18
23.3%
0.8 GW
4.3%
.061 GW
23 | Wind and Water Power Program
Older than 50 Years
Older than 75 Years
eere.energy.gov
Conventional Hydropower
Deployment Potential
Resource
Deployment Permitting Construction Deployment
Risk
Timeframe Timeframe
Potential
Additional generation from
existing powerhouses
Low
1-2 years
1-3 Years
~16 GW
New generation from
unpowered dam
development
Low
1-3 years
2-4 Years
12.6 GW
New sustainable
development
Medium to
High
1-6 years
2-4 Years
~50 to 150+
GW
3-6 Years
43 GW of
Preliminary
Permits
Advanced PumpedStorage Development
TOTAL POTENTIAL
High
2-6 years
120 to 220+ GW
Upgrades and unpowered dams can provide considerable new generation. New
hydropower and advanced pumped storage opportunities are plentiful.
24 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Advanced Hydropower Projects
•
Sustainable Small Hydropower:
– Nine projects, $5.8 million
– Research, develop, and test low-head, small hydropower technologies
– Non-powered dams or constructed waterways
•
Sustainable Pumped Storage Hydropower:
– Two projects, $6.8 million
– Spur deployment of advanced pumped storage hydropower in the U.S.
•
Environmental Mitigation Technologies for Conventional Hydropower:
– Three projects, $2 million
– Develop innovative hydropower technologies that will enhance environmental
performance while increasing electricity generation, mitigating fish and
habitat impacts and enhancing downstream water quality
25 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Outline
•
•
•
•
•
DOE Wind and Water Power Program
Overview of Wind Technology
Overview of Water Technology
Materials Challenges
Summary
26 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Environment Drives the Design
LandBased
Wind
Turbines
Offshore
Wind
Turbine
tidal turbine
MHK
Devices
Credit: NREL
27 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Wind / MHK major subsystems
Rotor
Nacelle
Tower
Foundation
28 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Component Terminology
MHK: Prototype stage, less
standardized, wide variety
topologies
Wind Turbines: Mature, more
standardized topologies
29 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Rotors – Challenges
Challenges:
1) 2x rotor diameter  4x energy capture  8x mass
2) Origin and effects of defects in composites not well understood
Materials Opportunities:
• Stiffer materials to limit blade deflection
• Higher strength/weight ratio materials
• Material characterization from fiber up to full component
Typical Material Costs:
High End Military: ~$1000/lb
Aerospace: ~$100/lb
Wind turbine blades: ~$10/lb
30 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Rotors – R&D - Reliability
Blade Reliability Collaborative
Industry collaborative lead by Sandia National Lab
windpower.sandia.gov
Major Activities
Goal
Root Cause Analysis Document field failures and root cause analysis
Inspection Validation Improve non destructive evaluation for manufacturing
Effects of Defects
Determine how flaws lead to failure
Analysis Evaluation
Improve ability of design tools to assess potential failure
Certification Testing
Evaluate certification testing to improve reliability
Will guide development of new materials and processes for blades
31 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Rotors – R&D: Testing all scales
Massachusetts Large Blade Test Center
Sandia National Lab and Montana State
University Composite materials testing
www.coe.montana.edu/composites/
32 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Bearings and Gears – Challenges
Challenges: Gearbox/pitch/yaw/bearings fail much earlier than
design life leading to high maintenance costs.
Materials Opportunities: Root cause failure analysis, new
lubricants and surface science.
Conventional 3-stage gearbox model. WindPACT
33 | Wind and Water Power Program
Total Downtime by Wind Turbine Component.
Windstats survey of 27,000 turbines.
eere.energy.gov
Bearings and Gears – R&D
1) Micro-pitting and
wear reduction with
advanced lubricants
(Argonne National
Lab)
Micro-pitting of surface with conventional oil
Wear reduction with advanced lubrication
system
2) Oil dehydrator for extended bearing life: Compact Membrane Systems LLC
400%
300%
200%
Increased Relative Bearing Life
with water removal
100%
0%
34 | Wind and Water Power Program
0
100
200
300
400
water contamination in oil (parts per million)
500
eere.energy.gov
Gears and bearings - Reliability
Gearbox Reliability Collaborative – NREL:
Engages key representatives in the wind turbine gearbox supply
chain to improve gearbox reliability and increase turbine uptime.
www.nrel.gov/wind/grc/
GRC Gearbox 1 high-speed stage displaying damage.
35 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Generators – Challenges
Challenges: Reduce mass, magnet costs
Materials Opportunities: superconductors, rare earth magnet
(NdFeB) alternatives
Tower Top Mass by drivetrain type (tonnes)
700
600
Direct driveelectromagnet
500
High speed
400
Hybridpermanent
magnet
Direct drivepermanent
magnet
300
200
Superconducting ?
100
NdFeB Price Change (Jan 2010 baseline)
700
600
600% + price increase
500
400
300
200
100
0
0
0
2
4
Nameplate rating (MW)
Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance
36 | Wind and Water Power Program
6
8
Jan-09 May-09 Sep-09 Jan-10 May-10 Sep-10 Jan-11 May-11 Sep-11
Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance
eere.energy.gov
Generators – R&D
Advanced Magnet Lab Fully Superconducting Generator
DOE Next Generation Drivetrain
R&D ($7.5M):
6 concepts for larger, more
reliable and efficient drivetrains:
• Eaton
• Clipper
• GE Global Research
• Advanced Magnet Lab
• Boulder Windpower
• NREL
Axial Gap Air-core PM generator
Generator concepts include:
• Superconducting
• Rare-earth magnet
37 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Power Electronics – Challenges
Challenges: Harsh operational environment, increase power
density, increase efficiency
Materials Opportunities: Semiconductor switches (SiC),
magnetic transformer cores, thermal management
arpa-e.energy.gov/
• Agile Delivery of Electrical
Power Technology (ADEPT)
• Rare Earth Alternatives in
Critical Technologies(REACT)
38 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Structural Components - Challenges
Challenges: Increased weight/increased cost, commodity
price swings, transportation logistics
Materials Opportunities: Light-weighting, alternative
structural materials, on-site fabrication
450%
Steel (70% of mass)
Real Price Change in Materials
400%
Iron (13% of mass)
350%
Fiberglass (13% of mass)
300%
Copper (1% of mass)
250%
Aluminum (1% of mass)
200%
150%
100%
50%
0%
-50%
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Source: M. Bolinger and R. Wiser. Understanding Trends in
Wind Turbine Prices Over the Past Decade. LBNL. October
2011.
39 | Wind and Water Power Program
2011
Support Structure Offshore
~20% of total cost
eere.energy.gov
Coatings – Challenges
Challenge: Protection against environmental degradation of
components (corrosion, biofouling, sediment fouling/erosion,
cavitation, environmentally benign coatings)
Materials Opportunities:
Novel Coatings Synthesis
40 | Wind and Water Power Program
Biofouling Testing
Corrosion/ Reliability Testing
eere.energy.gov
Coatings – R&D: SNL Advanced
Materials Lab
Coatings & Materials Performance Testing
Industrial Support
Anti-Corrosion Coatings
Biofilm Characterization on
Verdant Power Systems
Deployed in East River
Anti-Biofouling Coatings
Corrosion Performance of Epoxy Coatings on Al
9
Log of Impedance (Ohms) at 0.1 Hz
8
7
6
5
4
Bare Al
Other Unclassified
Fusobacteria
Firmicutes
Epoxy Control (no nano)
CeO2 composite (3% weight)
CNT composite (10% weight)
Silica (3% weight)
3
ZnFe3O4 (1% weight)
2
1
0
Microfluidic Mixing TEM Stage
Silver (5-200 nm)
Salt Fog Testing
41 | Wind and Water Power Program
Bacteriodetes
Proteobacteria
eere.energy.gov
Outline
•
•
•
•
•
DOE Wind and Water Power Program
Overview of Wind Technology
Overview of Water Technology
Materials Challenges
Summary
42 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Major Challenge: Lower Cost of Energy
Other Variable
Costs, 11%
Turbine, 27%
O&M, 20%
COE=
Electrical
Infrastructure,
11%
Other Capital
Costs, 3%
Project
Development and
Permits, 4%
Logistics and
Installation, Support Structure,
13%
10%
Power/Scale
Access to
Resource
43 | Wind and Water Power Program
Availability
Losses
$
Lifetime Cost
Lifetime Energy Capture
kWh
eere.energy.gov
Summary – Key Points
• Electricity is a commodity – Need to drive down
Cost of Energy
• Gigawatts deployed – materials must be
compatible with mass production
• Transfer materials developed in complimentary
industries - optimize for unique wind and water
operating conditions.
44 | Wind and Water Power Program
eere.energy.gov
Thank You
45 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
water.energy.gov
wind.energy.gov
eere.energy.gov