Momentum is building for Calif. offshore wind farms

For years, the steady, often strong wind off the coast has been viewed as a potential motherlode of energy for California.

But efforts to harness that power showed little progress, and at times it seemed that the plans for offshore wind farms might result in little more than hot air.

That appears to be changing.

Legislation pending in Sacramento is aimed at boosting such proposals. Federal agencies, labor groups and some environmental organizations are on board. And the Navy, long skeptical of any ocean structures or activities that could impede its training and operations, has made positive statements about making it work.

There’s a long way to go. Big logistical, technological and environmental issues still loom.

But the need for California to meet its clean energy goals and concern that last year’s record wildfires, heat waves and related blackouts will become commonplace have put more focus on placing electricitygenerating windmills out at sea.

Talks among stakeholders have resulted in the refinement of potential wind farm sites off the coast of Central and Northern California, and that appears to have moved the plans forward.

California has been a leader in developing alternative energy sources, except in one area: offshore. Meanwhile, wind farms have been developed in seas around the world — off Scotland, China, Rhode Island and elsewhere. Many more are in the pipeline for the East Coast of the United States and around the world.

Last month, Assemblyman David Chiu, D-san Francisco, introduced a bill that sets a target of generating 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030 — which could power hundreds of thousands of homes — and 10,000 megawatts by 2040.

“Put in perspective, the larger target is nearly equal to the electrical generating capacity of all the large solar farms in California today and nearly double all the wind farms now operating on land in California,” according to The Mercury News.

Beyond the carbonreducing benefits, Chiu said his Assembly Bill 525 would create 14,000 jobs. The measure has been endorsed by the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, which represents 500,000 construction workers.

The group Environment California also has endorsed the bill. Other environmental organizations, while generally supportive of wind power, say more needs to be

understood about how the proposed projects would affect marine life before they take a position. Still others have expressed outright opposition.

Commercial fishing organizations also have expressed concerns about whether the wind farms would put fishing areas off limits.

According to one report, the Navy has expressed a willingness to make the wind farms happen. The Department of Defense raised concerns about initial proposals to place wind turbines off Morro Bay and Diablo Canyon on the Central Coast because they could interfere with operations. That was not considered an issue with a third location off Humboldt County.

But after discussions, those sites were refined last year and appeared to be more acceptable to the Navy.

In an interview with Greentech Media, Steve Chung, the Navy’s encroachment program director for the Southwest region, said wind farms in the zones identified in the new map could still affect operations, but added that those conf licts could be managed “with long-term protective measures and additional collaboration with some of our partners.”

“DOD is committed to moving forward with the dialogue, committed to being part of the solution toward helping California and our agency partners achieve their goals,” Chung said.

However, Greentech also reported that potential wind farm developers said there wouldn’t be enough space at the Central Coast sites to create a viable market.

The Humboldt location raises different questions. Once energy is sent ashore via cable, how will it be transmitted far away? The entire county has a population of about 135,000 people and nearby counties also are sparsely populated. The region doesn’t need a lot more power and the grid up there can’t handle much, but it doesn’t need to. The idea would be to send the wind-generated electricity south to the San Francisco Bay Area.

But building heavy transmission lines over the rugged terrain there would be a logistical challenge and run into environmental concerns. There has been some discussion about laying an undersea cable south where it can connect with more substantial electricity infrastructure. Central Coast operations could hook up to infrastructure created for decommissioned power plants.

The three locations, some 20 to 30 miles off the coast, come with another logistical challenge: deep water. Most wind farm structures around the world are sunk into the ocean floor. But that’s not feasible with the depths at the California sites. Instead, the operations would use f loating windmills anchored at the bottom of the sea.

The first operational f loating wind farm launched in 2017 off the coast of Scotland, with turbines more than 570 feet above the surface of the water, according to Rob Nikolewski of The San Diego Union-tribune.

The waters off the Central and Northern California coast are deemed most ideal for wind power for a variety of reasons. One is that the Department of Defense has essentially ruled out Southern California because of extensive military installations and ocean activity.

Further, the targeted areas are known for consistent, strong winds that blow fairly steadily at night, according Nikolewski. That, of course, is when solar energy production stops.

He added that if energy storage technology does not develop as quickly as anticipated, the state may rely more on offshore wind production when other emissions-free resources are not available.

California has been aggressive in addressing climate change and setting goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

About a third of California’s electricity is generated from renewable sources, according to the California Energy Commission. The state has set targets of 60 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2045.

Advocates believe distant ocean wind can be a big part of getting California there.

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michael.smolens@ sduniontribune.com