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American-Made Challenges

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FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize

The FLOWIN Prize will bring the U.S. closer to the goals of a decarbonized electricity grid by 2035 and a net zero economy by 2050.

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stage:
Enter
prize:
$6.85M in Cash Awards and Vouchers

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Summary
Timeline
Updates13
Forum11
Teams279
Entries
Resources
FAQ
Summary

Overview

The FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess Prize 

 

This $5.85 million prize was launched by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) to pave the way for the cost-effective domestic manufacturing and deployment of commercial utility-scale floating offshore wind energy turbines in U.S. waters. WETO’s first-ever prize, the FLOWIN Prize, supports the Biden administration’s goal to decarbonize the U.S. electricity grid by 2035 and achieve a net zero economy by 2050. In addition, the prize aims to further the principles of inclusion and environmental justice embodied in the administration’s Justice40 Initiative by requiring competitors to indicate how their long-range manufacturing and supply chain development plans can benefit disadvantaged and underserved communities.

Prize Phases 

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 nine winning teams will receive $100,000 each in cash 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

  • This phase is only open to Phase Two winners.
  • 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.

$6.85 million in cash prizes and in-kind support 

The FLOWIN total prize pool is $5.75 million in cash, with up to $1.1 million in vouchers for technical support from DOE national laboratories. Prizes will be divided among multiple awardees and awards will be made for each phase. Only winning teams will be eligible to compete for the next phase.
 

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 administration’s Justice40 Initiative

Guidelines

Eligible teams will have an existing floating offshore wind substructure design and a mix of people who can support its manufacture and deployment. Teams may include designers, developers, turbine original equipment manufacturers, fabricators, supply chain and infrastructure companies, and others who can help accelerate the market readiness of the designs.  
 

Please review the official rules for the application process and instructions for competing.
 

If you have any questions or want to receive updates on the prize, please subscribe by using the contact feature on the HeroX platform or message us directly at .

Timeline
Updates13

Challenge Updates

PHASE TWO RULES CAN BE FOUND UNDER RESOURCES.

March 29, 2023, 12:30 p.m. PDT by NREL Prize Administrator

The phase two rules for the FLOWIN Prize have been shared under the resources tab. Please review in detail as your team applies for phase 2 of this prize.

Only winning teams of phase 1 can apply for phase 2 of the FLOWIN prize. However, non-winning teams of phase two may connect with winning teams of phase 1 to consider collaborating.


Final Reminder: Seeking Feedback on FLOWIN Rules by 1/23

Jan. 19, 2023, 11:51 a.m. PST by NREL Prize Administrator

Do you want to see what is coming in Phase Two and Three of the FLOWIN Prize? Do you have comments or suggestions about how to improve the effectiveness of the program? Now is your chance to let us know! 

The Wind Energy Technologies Office would like your comments on the rules. Please review the current program rules for Phase 2 and 3 and provide feedback to FLOWINprize@nrel.gov by January 23, 2023.  Please see 1.1 Questions for Respondents and please keep feedback anonymous. We will post the finalized rules on HeroX before the start of Phase 2 starting in March 2023. Thank you!


REMINDER: Seeking Feedback on FLOWIN Prize by 1/23

Jan. 17, 2023, 8 a.m. PST by NREL Prize Administrator

Do you want to see what is coming in Phase Two and Three of the FLOWIN Prize? Do you have comments or suggestions about how to improve the effectiveness of the program? Now is your chance to let us know! 

The Wind Energy Technologies Office would like your comments on the rules. Please review the current program rules for Phase 2 and 3 and provide feedback to FLOWINprize@nrel.gov by January 23, 2023.  Please see 1.1 Questions for Respondents and please keep feedback anonymous. We will post the finalized rules on HeroX before the start of Phase 2 starting in March 2023. Thank you!


REMINDER: IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PHASE 1 SUBMISSION

Jan. 5, 2023, 10:45 a.m. PST by NREL Prize Administrator

For Phase One submissions it is important for teams that may be working with a National Laboratory to NOT state which laboratories they are currently partnering with or plan to partner with in their Technical Narrative. It is acceptable to state in your Technical Narrative that you are working with a national laboratory, however, please do NOT specify which one. 
 

Example of permitted language:  “ Our team is working with a national laboratory to…” 
 

Please note that we DO want to know which lab your team plans to work with on your voucher slide, but this will only be used if you are a Phase One winner. However, there should not be any other mention of current partnerships with specific labs or of proposed future partnerships in the Technical Narrative or anywhere else in the submission package. If you have already submitted an application, you can edit this submission up until the deadline on January 13, 2023. Please make edits accordingly and please connect directly at FLOWINprize@nrel.gov if you have questions. Thank you!


IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PHASE 1 SUBMISSION

Dec. 20, 2022, 7:56 a.m. PST by NREL Prize Administrator

For Phase One submissions it is important for teams that may be working with a National Laboratory to NOT state which laboratories they are currently partnering with or plan to partner with in their Technical Narrative. It is acceptable to state in your Technical Narrative that you are working with a national laboratory, however, please do NOT specify which one. 

 

Example of permitted language:  “ Our team is working with a national laboratory to…” 

 

Please note that we DO want to know which lab your team plans to work with on your voucher slide, but this will only be used if you are a Phase One winner. However, there should not be any other mention of current partnerships with specific labs or of proposed future partnerships in the Technical Narrative or anywhere else in the submission package. If you have already submitted an application, you can edit this submission up until the deadline on January 13, 2023. Please make edits accordingly and please connect directly at FLOWINprize@nrel.gov if you have questions. Thank you!


Forum11
Teams279
Entries
Resources
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Please "follow" the challenges. Rules and the submission form will be posted in August 2022. Once the rules and submission form are posted, teams can submit an entry for the prize. 

Yes, but it’s quick and easy. Just click the “Solve this Challenge” button on this page and follow the instructions to complete your registration. All you need to provide is your name and email address.

No, if you are a contest winner you are receiving the prize for meeting or exceeding the contest goals. 

Innovation is about making ideas happen. The American-Made Network will accelerate and sustain innovation through a diverse and powerful network that includes national laboratories, energy incubators, facilities, and other valuable industry partners from across the U.S. who will engage, connect, mentor, and boost the efforts of AMC competitors.

See who is in the network.

Connectors are the core component of the American-Made Network and are organizations that seek to support the efforts of competitors in AMC Challenges. Use this link to explore the Network to find potential partners and develop relationships.

https://americanmadechallenges.org/network

If you encounter an issue when attempting to submit an entry to the challenge, you may need to contact HeroX or the Prize Administrator.

You may try to connect with HeroX using the online form which appears in the bottom right corner of your browser window, it says Leave a Message.

You may also send a message to the Prize Administrator inbox at  .

Please allow at least 1 business day for a response.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the Prize Administrator for the American-Made Challenges. In this capacity NREL works closely with the U.S. Department of Energy to administer the challenges, maintain the website platform, assist in building the network, and pay prize money to the winning teams.

All of your files are uploaded as part of the submission form, access this by clicking the Begin Entry button.  The submission form contains an upload option for each of the required file entries.  Only PDF files will be accepted for upload.

Competitors competing in American Made Challenges retain their own intellectual property. DOE has no intention of gaining rights to any underlying inventions discussed in your submission materials or that you may develop in furtherance of competing in this prize.

If you have a question not answered in the FAQ, we recommend that you post it in the Forum where someone will respond to you. This way, others who may have the same question will be able to see it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: 

Responses have been provided below to questions posed by interested parties. While the responses are based on the prize rules document they do not take precedent over the more detailed information provided in the official rules. All potential prize competitors are encouraged to read that document carefully before proceeding with plans to prepare and submit an application. 
 

ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTIONS 
 

Q: Should national labs only be mentioned on the voucher slide or be included in the team qualification section of the technical narrative? 

A: In addition to including them on the voucher slide, national laboratories may be mentioned in your technical narrative if they are, or have been, a partner organization in your product development process. However, national laboratories are not eligible to be core members of prize teams and cannot receive prize money. If teams wish to engage national laboratories for work beyond what is funded through vouchers, they are welcome to subcontract to those national laboratories directly.   

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Q: Do you accept participants from all around the world? Is that applicable for only USA residents? Do all members of the collaboration need to be US companies? 
A: To apply, the lead organization needs to be a U.S entity. Other participants on the team do not need to be U.S. based. Residency of the individuals within a company is not considered. 

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Q: Is it preferred to apply as a single entity or as a consortium (for example: technology developer +  key enabler in serial production) 

A: There must be a single entity who may be applying on their own or as the lead of several collaborating organizations. 

____________________________________________________________
 

Q: Is there any way to find USA citizen as a team captain? 

A: We recommend using the ‘join a team’ button on HeroX to connect with other innovators and teams. We also will be sharing information from the Business Network for Offshore Wind who will be supporting teams with matchmaking. Please keep an eye out on HeroX for updates about this opportunity. The lead organization needs to be a U.S. based office. However, note that U.S. citizenship is not a requirement to participate in the prize.   

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Q: Is it OK if a team, which is based in the US, has a member who works remotely from overseas? 

A: Yes, it is ok for a member to work overseas.  

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Q: Will we get feedback on how the proposals were scored? 

A: Expert Reviewer’s comments on submissions, which inform the scoring, will be shared with teams after winners are announced. 

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Q: Do we have to write about how we will be using the prize money? 

A: There is language in the rules that states the following, “Briefly describe how the prize money will be used to further progress toward U.S. manufacturing and deployment of offshore wind energy systems.” However, once winning teams receive prize funds, they may use those funds however they see fit.  

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Q: Is a foreign work waiver required for non-US team members? 

A: No, a foreign work waiver is not required.  

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Q: Might be a trivial question, only the teams selected as winners in Phase 1 can proceed to Phase 2 and Phase 3? In other words, a team, which is not selected as winners in Phase 1 would be completely eliminated? 

A: Only winners of phase 1 can proceed to phase 2, and only phase 2 winners can proceed to phase 3 of this prize.  

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Q: Can a company be in multiple applications? 

A: An entity (such as a company) can only be the lead or team captain of one submission. However, a company can be included in multiple submissions.  

____________________________________________________________

Q: Will this recording be made available to us? 

A: Yes. A recording of the phase 1 informational webinar for the FLOWIN prize is currently posted on the updates and resources tab.  

 ____________________________________________________________

Q: Can an entity be the lead in more than one prize competitions, i.e., solar, wind, geo? 

A: Yes. A lead or team captain can apply for more than one prize with the American-Made challenges program.  

____________________________________________________________

Q: How many experts will be reviewing the application? 

A: The Prize Administrator, in consultation with DOE, assigns subject matter expert reviewers who independently score the content of each submission. The identities and quantity of reviewers will not be made public. The review panel will be comprised of federal and non federal subject matter experts with expertise in areas relevant to the competition. All reviewers will be under a nondisclosure agreement before they are allowed to review submissions, and the non-federal reviewers will be selected to avoid potential conflicts of interest. 

____________________________________________________________

Q: The support from the Business network, is this more understanding the rules and format? 

A: The Business Network will be focused on supporting teams, and any queries about the rules and format should be addressed to FLOWINprize@nrel.gov. The Business Network for Offshore Wind is a national non-profit dedicated solely to the offshore wind industry. The Business Network is being contracted by WETO to support competitors on this prize; they will be supporting teams with webinars about the Offshore Wind supply chain, networking opportunities, match making and mentoring. Please keep an eye out as we will be posting information about office hours with their experts as well as upcoming educational, networking, and mentoring opportunities. 

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Q: While redeeming Lab Vouchers, how do the non-us entities of a teamwork with the Labs? 

A: The team lead or captain needs to be a US entity. This captain or lead would be responsible for utilizing their voucher at a national laboratory. Once voucher arrangements are made, other team members, US-based or otherwise, may interact with labs on technical details. Standard security procedures for interactions of foreign nationals with national laboratories will apply. 

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Q: This prize may take time for industry to internalize. It seems to be focused on floating turbine platforms. What about adjacent areas such as hydrogen or floating substations? And is there a clear definition of American-Made in the same way as Apple is identified as designed in Cupertino? 
A: There are no current prizes in adjacent areas; however, we suggest that you follow HeroX and our American-Made Challenges website and social media pages to be kept up to date on future prizes. The prize is only focused on how to enable large-scale U.S. manufacturing of floating offshore wind systems, and not on substations or hydrogen. Regarding the reference to Apple, the focus of this prize is on manufacturing in the U.S., not merely designing in the U.S and manufacturing elsewhere. ____________________________________________________________

TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS 
 

Q: You mentioned the prize is focused on water depths > 40 meters. Are deeper waters preferred and scored higher? 

A: No, there is no preference for any specific water depth.  The focus is on floating offshore wind technology at any practical and cost-effective water depth. 

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Q: If a manufacturing process could help industrialize production of multiple platform designs, is it acceptable to apply with a range of platform designs? 

A: You may only lead one proposal but may support multiple teams, for instance with a manufacturing process.  Therefore, you could have a similar support role on multiple proposals. However, individual proposals should be focused solely on the manufacturing and commercial development of a single platform design. 
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Q: Is technology assessment (TA) comparing offshore deployment of turbine/tower versus AWE (airborne wind energy) technologies underway or being considered?  NREL study points out lack of basic study whether AWE will be a less costly source of renewable energy though apparently no such study has been initiated (see Executive Summary) >  https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy21osti/79992.pdf 

A: This funding opportunity is focused on floating offshore wind turbine platforms.  Airborne wind is not of interest for this opportunity. 
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Q: Can you please explain the TRL requirement for the platform?  Are you looking for entities that have already demonstrated platform designs? Will existing commercialized designs be scored higher than conceptual designs?  

A: There is no specific level required for either technology or commercial readiness, but both are judging criteria and higher readiness platforms will score higher. See the prize rules document for specific evaluation criteria. In order to score high, one should have a floating wind platform design for which extensive work has been done to show its viability. Levels of maturity may be demonstrated through engineering and validation activities such as integrated turbine/floating structure system modeling, coupled wind/wave tank testing, front-end engineering design, third-party engineering evaluation, a demonstration project, etc.  Competitors should demonstrate the technical feasibility and risks of their floating concept for large-scale wind farm deployment, as well as a level of product engineering readiness and maturity justifying detailed production planning. The focus of the prize is on facilitating U.S. manufacturing of floating offshore wind platforms. 
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Q: How is the cost of port modifications accounted for in the LCOE calculations?  Some designs will not require as much port investment infrastructure enhancements as other concepts. 

A: LCOE is not a judging criterion for Phase I.  This question will be addressed in more detail in the Rules for Phases II and III.  Phase 1 responses should illustrate an understanding of port requirements for manufacturing, assembling and deploying their platform technology, and may highlight features that are anticipated to reduce overall costs compared to other approaches. 
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Q: Is the goal of the competition based more on the design of the floating wind structure or on the build out of the supply chain? 

A: The prize is focused on both elements.  The hope is to advance both in unison to identify pathways for developing large-scale commercial deployment of floating offshore wind in the U.S. 
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Q: Apart from floater design, will innovations in wind turbine be scored? 

A: The focus of this prize is on the platform, and not the turbine. Responses pertaining to the ‘Integration Plan” criterion should illustrate that operational interactions with the turbine and tower have been considered, including any potentially beneficial factors that could be verified in conjunction with a turbine OEM. 
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Q: Installation will be a key issue; will it be reviewed as the same level as fabrication? 

A: Both installation and fabrication are important components. One will need to show a pathway to achieving both.  Innovations, or development work, can focus on one or the other more, as desired, based on the technology needs. 
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Q: Can you clarify Mass production? Should mean Fabrication + installation 

A: Mass production is the whole process of making products or goods in quantity to be sold (or deployed) as a final output. Manufacturing and fabrication are within the process of production. Installation is the process of installing the product after production is completed. Practicality, ease, and cost-effectiveness of installation are important considerations in product design and commercial viability. 
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Q: Two units installed per week? 

A: The nominal amount of two units per week was mentioned purely an example to illustrate both how different this industry is from other large infrastructure marine industries, and the relative scale of production needed to meet stated U.S. deployment goals. 
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Q: We are seeing lower LCOE from two 7mW than one 14 MW Can we make that case in application? 

A: If one can make a clear commercial argument for deploying a larger number of smaller turbines, rather than fewer larger ones, that is acceptable. 

Q: When can more detailed information about the second and third phase submissions be expected? Will this be provided after each phase to the winner? 

 

A: Draft rules for Phase 2 and Phase 3 are expected to be posted for public comment on the HeroX website by mid-December, 2022. Official rules for each phase will be issued when that phase is opened. Phase 2 is expected to open in March, 2023. Only winners of prior phases will be eligible to compete in subsequent phases.

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Q: The two competing objectives of significantly lowering cost while increasing domestic content are noted and appreciated. How should the applicant treat those two essential objectives in terms of prioritization and explanation? Shall we take a realistic global consideration when designing approach or favor domestic content while noting impact to the cost objective (and potentially others like production bottlenecks).

 

A: The goal of the prize is to facilitate U.S. production of floating platforms with related U.S. economic benefits. Because cost competitiveness is also an important consideration in product commercialization, the prize content recommendations do indicate that competitors may identify supply chain development activities needed for cost-effective serial production and increased domestic content. Therefore, responses may reflect a limited domestic supply chain at this stage, but highlight how this situation could be improved for increased domestic manufacturing over time. Competitors should convey that they have planned a realistic trajectory toward achieving a balance of cost, sourcing and design features that will lead to commercial sales and production of their floating platform product.

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Q: How long does it take for a contract to be put in place to begin voucher work?
 

A: There are a number of variables at play for finalizing a contract for voucher work to begin. Voucher work can begin 6-8 weeks after a Statement of Work is submitted by a team, however, this is not guaranteed. The work performed under the voucher can be done within a year of the contract finalization.