Offshore wind energy critical to reach clean power goals

That’s why we’re so excited that a new clean energy resource is on the horizon — one that our state has not yet tapped.

California has some of the best offshore wind potential in the nation, but thus far, we’ve lagged behind the East Coast and Europe in development.

Offshore wind energy could play a critical role in our state’s most affordable pathway to 100% clean energy — all while cutting air pollution, fighting the climate crisis, and creating thousands of quality jobs in manufacturing and construction.

California has some of the best offshore wind potential in the nation, but thus far, we’ve lagged behind the East Coast and Europe in development. That could be starting to change.

A bill advancing through the California legislature right now would accelerate development by directing the California Energy Commission to set a target for offshore wind development. To support California in cashing in on this economic and climate opportunity, we urge California legislators to vote yes.

The bill comes at a key time in California’s transition to clean energy. Our state’s power challenges this summer make it clear that California is not moving fast enough to add new clean energy resources to the grid — especially as the consequences of climate change intensify, driving a surge in demand for electricity for cooling.

The jobs benefits from pursuing this clean energy opportunity would be enormous.

Offshore wind development can protect our state from power shortages by delivering a surge of energy to the grid in the high-demand evening hours.

To get this resilience-boosting resource on the grid by the end of the decade, we need to do the groundwork now — and earlier this year, the state of California worked with the Biden administration to clear a key hurdle with a groundbreaking agreement to open up California waters to offshore wind development for the first time.

The agreement identified two areas for development, one off the coast of Central California and a second west of Humboldt Bay. Together, these two areas could generate a combined 4,600 megawatts of clean electricity, enough to power 1.6 million homes.

The jobs benefits from pursuing this clean energy opportunity would be enormous.

A report earlier this year from the USC Schwarzenegger Institute found that developing 10GW in California coastal waters has the potential to create 65,000 jobs during the construction phase and 4,500 long-term operation and maintenance jobs.

With proactive workforce policies to ensure middle-class wages, a skilled workforce, and job access for communities, the offshore wind industry in California can deliver good jobs and create career opportunities in underserved areas that currently lack high-quality opportunities. We can ensure the jobs benefits go further by requiring domestic content for the projects to drive job growth in American manufacturing.

The report also finds that offshore wind development could deliver resource cost savings for the state of California — to the tune of $1 billion annually.

Another report from Energy and Environmental Economics (E3) projected savings of up to $2 billion from offshore wind for electricity customers in the state. Many reports – including an analysis earlier this year from the California Energy Commission — have concluded that all offshore wind is a critical component of California’s most affordable path to 100% clean energy.

Offshore wind will help California deliver on its promise of good jobs, clean air, and affordable 100% renewable energy. Legislators should put the state on a path to development by voting yes on California’s offshore wind bill.
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Editor’s Note: JB Tengco is the vice president for state affairs at the BlueGreen Alliance.

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