FLOWIN Prize
About two-thirds of the nation’s offshore wind resource potential can be found in water depths over 60 meters—areas where floating offshore wind turbines are more practical and cost effective than fixed-bottom turbines. The FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize aims to help unlock this potential.
The first-ever prize from DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, the FLOWIN Prize will help pave the way for the cost-effective domestic manufacture and deployment of commercial utility-scale floating offshore wind energy turbines in U.S. waters. This three-phase competition invites designers, fabricators, and project site developers to tackle some of offshore wind energy’s biggest challenges related to supply chains and large-scale execution.
Ready to start FLOWIN?! Learn more about the prize below. Submissions for Phase One close on January 13, 2023 at 5 p.m. ET.
FLOWIN Prize Goals
- Advance designs of floating offshore wind turbine platforms for manufacturing
- Improve supply chain readiness to enable mass production and assembly in the United States
- Lower associated costs and risks
- Further the principles of inclusion and environmental justice embodied in the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative.
Prize Phases
Winners from each phase will earn awards from a total cash pool of $5.75 million, plus at least $1.1 million in technical support vouchers from DOE national laboratories.
Only the winning teams of each phase will be eligible to compete in the next phase.
- 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 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
- Only Phase Two winners are eligible to compete in this phase.
- 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.
How to Enter
Go to the HeroX challenge page and follow the instructions for and submitting all required materials before the deadline.
Read the FLOWIN Prize Rules to learn more.
Important Dates
Phase One
Submission Opens:
September 12, 2022
Submission Closes:
January 13, 2023 5 p.m. ET
Winner Announcement:
March 2023 (anticipated)
Phase Two
Submission Opens:
March 2023 (anticipated)
Submission Closes:
November 2023 (anticipated)
Winner Announcement:
January 2024 (anticipated)
Phase Three
Submission Opens:
January 2024 (anticipated)
Submission Closes:
October 2024 (anticipated)
Winner Announcement:
December 2024 (anticipated)
All dates are subject to change including contest openings, deadlines, and announcements.
Sign up for updates for the FLOWIN Prize here.
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