A new study has identified policy steps required to help California achieve its offshore wind ambitions.
‘The California Offshore Wind Project: A Vision for Industry Growth’, published by non-profit group American Jobs Project estimates that if California were to install 18GW of offshore wind capacity by 2045, the state could support over 17,500 jobs in the entire supply chain in that year.
Based on interviews with stakeholders and experts in the state, the report provides a call to action for measures that will guide industry growth to create market certainty, support training for jobs, as well as maximise collaboration and links between various players in the sector.
The document provides several key policy recommendations, which include appointing a California Offshore Wind Czar so serve as the primary point of contact for the state’s strategic offshore wind efforts.
The study states: “The Czar’s responsibilities could include coordinating activities among state agencies, fostering community programmes, advocating for policy and procedural changes in the federal leasing process, building international relationships for knowledge exchange, and capturing domestic and foreign direct investment opportunities.”
Other policy recommendations include setting up a phased approach to nurturing an offshore wind workforce.
Near-term activities could map workforce planning, convene stakeholder groups on best practice strategies, and target applicant pools interested in working in the offshore wind industry.
The report states: “Long-term efforts could help build a diverse and inclusive workforce, formalise partnerships between industry and training providers, and ensure investments in offshore wind safety training, operations and maintenance, monitoring and verification, and technology research and development.”
The document advises that California leaders could facilitate offshore wind research, collaboration, knowledge exchange, and business development through joint industry projects, multidisciplinary academic programmes, industry and university partnerships, business accelerators, and access to finance.
The report also suggests state activities could focus on upgrading key ports to catalyse early-stage projects, develop port innovation to serve offshore wind requirements as well as prioritise benefits to local communities from efforts to regenerate ports.
With 112GW of technical offshore wind resource potential along its coastline, which is enough to supply about one and a half times the state’s annual electric energy use, California has the eighth-highest resource potential in the US.
According to the report the first leasing round for the state could be launched as early as 2020.
Two entities, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority and Castle Wind, have proposed projects off the coast of Humboldt County and San Luis Obispo County, respectively.
Floating offshore wind technology is better suited for California due to its deep waters.
Scientists project that California’s floating offshore wind turbines could reach capacity factors of over 70%, two to three times that of solar, and nearly twice that of land-based wind, the report mentions.