2026 Distributed Wind Turbine Competitiveness Improvement Project

The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), managed by Alliance for Energy Innovation, LLC under DOE Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308, is soliciting proposals on behalf of the Department of Energy for the 2026 Distributed Wind Turbine Competitiveness Improvement Project, with proposals due November 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM MST as extended by Amendment No. 2. The solicitation, RFX-2026-10008, carries no set-aside and is open to any offeror that meets the mandatory qualifications: U.S. incorporation, electrical power output, U.S.-based work unless justified, new turbine hardware, and current relevant certifications.

The project covers thirteen topic areas: seven wind turbine development areas, three power electronics areas, and three common areas (Manufacturing Process Innovation, Technology Commercialization, and Field Validation). Per the Government File summary of the RFP, awards range from $200,000 to $800,000 per topic, with minimum price participation of 20% to 50%. The anticipated period of performance is 21 months per topic, up to 60 months for Field Validation. Offerors may submit single-topic proposals of up to 15 pages or multi-topic proposals of up to three topic areas of up to 20 pages, with multi-topic work proceeding serially through go/no-go gates. Small Turbine Certification and/or Listing is capped at 150 kW, and other turbine topics are generally capped at 1,000 kW. Component innovation requires a baseline turbine design with stated OEM support.

The listed place of performance is Arvada, Colorado 80007. Work must occur in the United States or its territories unless otherwise justified and approved. Active SAM.gov registration is required at award, not at proposal submission. Required submissions include the Eligibility Verification form, Figure of Merit-Cost of Energy, Turbine/Power Electronics Specifications, Deliverable Summary Table, price/cost proposal, representations and certifications, and organizational conflict of interest statements.

NLR will award on a Best Value basis. Qualitative merit is substantially more important than evaluated price. Proposals are emailed to Kyndall.Jackson@nlr.gov, the Subcontract Administrator. Amendment No. 1 (October 26, 2026) answered 62 offeror questions and did not change the receipt date. Amendment No. 2 (November 10, 2026) moved the deadline from November 13 at 2:00 PM MT to November 16 at 12:00 PM MST.