Powering the Pacific: Two New Studies on California Floating Offshore Wind

Dr. Nils Angliviel de La Beaumelle published the following articles on: 

• Floating offshore wind on the U.S. West Coast: An expert elicitation 
  This paper presents results from an expert elicitation to gather insights that are not publicly available on the floating offshore wind (FOSW) industry on the U.S. West Coast, including future cost projections, expected failure rates, and transmission system options for California’s emerging FOSW landscape.Techno-economic assessment of floating offshore wind in California

• Techno-economic assessment of floating offshore wind in California 
  This paper inputs the data from the expert elicitation into a techno-economic model to assess the future production and cost of the Humboldt and Morro Bay lease areas, in North and Central California, respectively.
  
  Findings: 

  • There are large uncertainty and disagreement among experts on future costs and failure probabilities.

  • Experts diverged on future transmission systems, though most agreed DC technologies will be used in the future.

  • Overall, experts believe California’s 2030 FOSW targets will not be met but could be achieved by 2035, and 2045 targets could be realized with faster buildout of future lease areas.

  • The 2035 median levelized costs of energy and transmission (LCOE + LCOT) range from $95 to 121 per MWh.

  • Operation and maintenance costs, turbines, and floating foundations are the largest contributors to levelized costs.

  These studies offer new data and analysis to support California's offshore wind goals.