Economic Headwinds Mean The West Coast Should Stop Being An Offshore Wind Laggard

Energy Economic Headwinds Mean The West Coast Should Stop Being An Offshore Wind Laggard Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. We are a nonpartisan climate policy think tank helping policymakers make informed energy policy choices and accelerate clean energy by supporting the policies that most effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Greg Alvarez Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

I am Energy Innovation’s Deputy Communications Director. Sep 27, 2022, 07:15am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Offshore wind is the next frontier in our quest to build clean energy fast enough to avoid dangerous climate change. If done right, the United States can create thousands of new jobs and boost economies across the country – even off the West Coast.

The U. S. has long lagged behind Europe and China in developing offshore wind, but that’s about to change in a big way.

From the Carolinas up through Maine, East Coast governors are gushing about projects being developed off their shores. And federally, the Inflation Reduction Act contains provisions that would boost offshore wind growth, domestic manufacturing, and transmission access. However, California, Oregon, and Washington have been largely absent from the parade of good news.

While the West Coast has taken some steps toward harnessing the winds off its shores, it’s made far less progress than its cross-country counterparts. Block Island, R. I: Deepwater Wind installing the first offshore wind farm at Block Island, Rhode .

. . [+] Island, August 14, 2016.

(Photo by Mark Harrington/Newsday RM via Getty Images) Newsday via Getty Images That’s strange for several reasons. The West Coast simply needs much more clean energy to meet its climate targets in a reliable, affordable manner. And the West Coast has long been one of the world’s leading clean innovation hubs, and due its coastal geography, that expertise must again be leveraged to make offshore wind a reality.

Doing so will help keep the lights on in a more extreme climate, while strengthening the area’s economy and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, the outlook for West Coast offshore wind is brightening. The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently doubled its offshore wind target, calling for 25 gigawatts by 2045.

That matters, because even though the CEC’s goal isn’t legally binding, it will inform future grid modeling, planning, and procurement, as well as public investment decisions in offshore wind manufacturing, port, and workforce development. MORE FOR YOU Here’s The List Of 317 Wind Energy Rejections The Sierra Club Doesn’t Want You To See Revisiting The Blame For High Gas Prices Why Do ‘Fracking’ Opponents Ignore Its Moral Benefits? Here’s why the West Coast can meet its climate targets and strengthen its economy by taking advantage of these new developments. Sky-high demand for clean energy Strong climate policies across the Western U.

S. , combined with a large population and economy, lead to one simple conclusion—the region needs a huge amount of clean energy. California alone has 40 million people and the world’s fifth largest economy, along with a 100 percent clean energy by 2045 target.

That need becomes even more acute across the Western U. S. , where 80 percent of customers are served by utilities with net-zero carbon emission mandates, while 57 percent of the West’s electricity demand comes from California, Oregon, and Washington.

Technically, the Western U. S. could meet its climate goals using only land-based renewable energy and storage.

But we don’t live in a world governed by what’s technically possible—political realities intervene. Complicating factors across the West include land use constraints, inadequate transmission lines, and large swaths of federal lands nearly impossible to build on, meaning many open tracts of land are off limits for clean energy development. Fortunately, offshore wind can solve these intertwined problems.

The West Coast’s world-class offshore wind resources can bypass land use battles and the harrowing challenges from building long-distance transmission lines. Keeping the lights on and with cutting edge technology Offshore wind pairs perfectly with the West’s dominant renewable energy source, solar power, and is most productive when the sun goes down – just when electricity demand rises and the sun sets. A working paper from University of California, Berkeley also finds building 50,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind by 2045—just a quarter of region’s potential—could supply 40 percent of California’s electricity.

The strong, consistent nature of offshore wind, combined with turbines that can produce three to four times more electricity than their land-based counterparts, plays a big role in the resource’s high output. A diverse clean energy portfolio including solar, onshore wind, offshore wind, geothermal, hydropower, and storage can get the West to a clean grid that’s reliable. To harness these reliability benefits, the West Coast will need to rely on cutting edge technology—floating turbines.

Offshore wind in the Pacific will need to look very different than elsewhere in the country because the steep drop off its continental shelf. On the East Coast, the shelf extends far out to sea, so turbines can be anchored to the sea floor, whereas on the West Coast it falls off quickly. That means Western offshore wind must rely on floating platforms.

Floating offshore wind is a nascent but proven technology. While it hasn’t been deployed as often as fixed bottom turbines, demonstration projects in Portugal and Scotland have shown floating offshore wind farms are viable, and 25,000 MW are under development worldwide, almost entirely in Asia and Europe. The West can continue its legacy as an incubator for new technologies by bringing floating offshore wind to scale, and its economy will reap even greater rewards.

Global levelized cost of energy estimates for floating offshore wind. United States Department of Energy Strengthening the economy and building on the West’s legacy of innovation West Coast port communities, which have suffered economically in recent years, stand to gain huge investments from offshore wind. Most floating platforms will be assembled on land and then shipped out to sea, as opposed to fixed bottom turbines, which are built in the open ocean.

That means upgrading port infrastructure and revitalizing communities. For example, California’s Port of Humboldt has already received $10. 5 million for upgrades to make it suitable for floating offshore wind construction, and that’s just the beginning of what’s needed.

“Upgrading a single port for offshore wind could create up to 6,000 full-time equivalent jobs and add $449 million to the [California’s] gross domestic product,” a recent report found . The Western economy will also create new jobs by deploying offshore wind. For example, building 10,000 MW of offshore wind would create up to 180,000 job years of employment, according to the Schwarzenegger Institute at the University of Southern California .

And if federal and state policy supports local component manufacturing, the report found 50,000 jobs could be created through 2040. Building an offshore wind project requires over 70 different distinct professions, from engineers to welders, longshoremen, lawyers and many more, according to the Workforce Development Institute. AT SEA – APRIL 28: Workers look out at wind turbines at the Alpha Ventus offshore windpark on .

. . [+] April 28, 2010 in the North Sea approximately 70km north of the German coast.

Alpha Ventus, which is a pilot project between energy producers E. On, Vattenfall and EWE, officially began operation the day before and will deliver 60 Megawatts of power from its 12 turbines. It is also Germany’s first offshore windpark.

(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Getty Images Policies to make it happen But the West will only tap these immense benefits and harness the winds off its shores with policy support from Congress, the Biden administration, and state governments. The Inflation Reduction Act will give West Coast offshore wind a huge kickstart with its long-term clean energy tax credit extensions and funding for more staff at the National Atmospheric and Ocean Administration and U. S.

Department of Energy, which will help accelerate project permitting. But we can’t access the power without transmission. Congress should also team up with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to support transmission line investments through enhanced planning and funding, as well as supporting an offshore subsea cable linking West Coast offshore wind projects the onshore transmission system.

In addition, the Biden administration can encourage the responsible siting of offshore wind by streamlining the project review process while still ensuring environmental protections. It should also encourage the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to identify more West Coast offshore wind development areas and hold lease auctions. Finally, West Coast state governments should update the offshore wind cost figures used in their planning processes and require offshore wind scenarios in their planning exercises.

West Coast states should also start training their offshore wind workforce by offering resources for union-run pre-apprenticeship programs . Making West Coast offshore wind a reality Offshore wind is begging to solve to the West’s clean energy problem. It’s time to dramatically speed up Western offshore wind deployment for the region to have a shot at hitting its climate targets and reap huge economic benefits.

Don’t let the East Coast steal all the headlines—it’s time for the West to dive into offshore wind. Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology Greg Alvarez Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.