Find Opportunities To Support Your Distributed Wind Energy Project

Sept. 23, 2024

Interested in distributed wind energy to support electricity needs at your home, farm, ranch, business, industrial complex, or community? Explore the following current opportunities to find resources and tools, technical assistance, and funding.

Distributed wind opportunities include:

  • The National Distributed Wind Network addresses gaps in understanding distributed wind energy’s role in the clean energy transition. Participation in the network is open to any individual interested in distributed wind energy deployment: developers; original equipment manufacturers; utility representatives; federal, state, or local government representatives; tribal members; individual customers; students; community organizations; and researchers. View the recording of the March 2024 National Distributed Wind Network Webinar to learn more. Join the network.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers energy programs that can fund energy audits, renewable energy development assistance, and system installation. USDA Rural Development offers renewable energy financing in the form of grants and guaranteed loans for rural communities, agricultural producers, and rural small businesses.
  • USDA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Rural and Agricultural Income & Savings from Renewable Energy initiative to help rural small businesses, farmers, and electric cooperatives cut costs and increase income using smaller-scale renewable energy technologies, such as distributed wind turbines.
  • A new Energy Ready Distributed Wind Smart program, partnered by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, recognizes communities that have taken key steps to address local barriers to distributed wind energy and foster the growth of distributed markets with two forms of support: (1) no-cost technical assistance to help local governments follow national best practices to expand distributed wind energy use in their jurisdictions and (2) recognition and celebration for communities with designations of Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
  • The Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program connects local governments, electric utilities, community-based groups, and others with experts from across DOE's national laboratory complex and their customized, cutting-edge analysis. Through unbiased technical support to communities across the country, C2C accelerates the deployment of clean energy systems that reflect local and regional priorities. C2C is also offering a peer-learning cohort in distributed wind with applications due by Oct. 31, 2024.
  • Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships provide direct technical assistance to industrial facilities and other large energy users with identifying and implementing technology options, such as distributed wind turbines, for achieving site-specific energy objectives.