2026 Distributed Wind Turbine Competitiveness Improvement Project

The Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) is seeking U.S. companies to advance the competitiveness of distributed wind turbines (≤ 1 MW) and associated power‑electronics through a suite of 13 topic‑area tasks. Each award is a firm‑fixed‑price subcontract with required price‑participation (cost‑share) and a standard 21‑month period of performance (up to 60 months for field validation). Offerors may submit single‑topic proposals or phased, multi‑topic proposals (max three phases), but all work must be performed in the United States and the hardware must be brand‑new. • 13 distinct task areas covering prototype design, manufacturing, installation/testing, component innovation, system optimization, certification/listing, manufacturing process innovation, commercialization, and field validation. • Maximum NLR award amounts range from $200 k (design development) to $800 k (manufacture, type certification, manufacturing innovation, power‑electronics pre‑testing/listing); price‑participation minimums are 20 %–50 % of total project cost. • Proposals limited to 15 pages (single‑topic) or 20 pages (phased) and must be emailed to the Subcontract Administrator; no external reviewers, proprietary data protected, and all technical questions due by October 16 2026.