Floating Wind Plan Could Finally Crack California's Offshore Market

June 30, 2017

MIT Technology Review recently featured an article on Trident Wind's unsolicited proposal to construct the world's largest floating offshore wind farm northwest of Morro Bay, with 60 to 100 turbines capable of delivering as much as 1 gigawatt of electricity into California's grid. The project could take advantage of transmission lines constructed for a now-retired natural gas plant. Floating wind farms may be able to address the issue that has hindered offshore wind development along the Pacific coastline: a steep continental shelf that makes it difficult to erect underwater foundations. The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently produced a report for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that assesses California's offshore wind potential.