Rogers, Paul. “Wind Turbines Could Be Coming to California’s Coast.” Wind Turbines Could Be Coming to California’s Coast, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2021, www.mercurynews.com/2021/02/11/wind-turbines-could-be-coming-to-californias-coast/
On Thursday, february 11th, a coalition of labor, industry and environmental groups came together to endorse a new bill that would require California to set a target of constructing 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030, enough to 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. Assemblyman David Chiu’s bill, AB 525, would also require the California Energy Commission to draw up a plan by June 2022 detailing how to reach the target. Chiu said his bill will create 14,000 construction jobs. It is key, he added, for California to reach its target of 60% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% carbon-free energy by 2045, both of which were put into law by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018. Chiu noted that offshore wind power also can help reduce the risk of electrical blackouts, because ocean winds blow at night, when solar power drops, making the grid more reliable.
I was concerned that although California has been a world leader in renewable energy for decades, it also has more solar power and electric cars than any other state, yet it was behind on the offshore wind. The potential of offshore wind energy is very huge, so I am glad to hear that it is going to be another main source of energy in california soon. I also thought that how they are trying to combine the solar panels that California is doing currently, and the offshore wind turbines to produce the electricity is a really smart and efficient way that can cover up renewable energy’s main weakness, which is unreliability, since it covers both day and night. I think it will work pretty well especially in California, where it’s shinny in the lands and very windy in the coast, so I hope that California could lead the world towards 100% carbon free energy.
Daiki- I think you pointing out the importance of the offshore winds blowing at night reveals you have a grounded perspective on some of the difficulties of our current renewables. CA has got its work cut out for itself- great to see the opportunity for so many green jobs.
I’m curious- after following all these wind stories, do you think that wind will be able to compete with other energies on its own, without subsidies?
Hope you found your topic interesting- you are an expert compared to most on this topic.
I found what you wrote very interesting and informative. While this renewable energy is great, do you think it will be challenging to input the offshore windmills? I say this because many people care about California’s offshore marine life/ecosystem and don’t want them to be disturbed by having big machines in their environment. Do you think there will be a conflict with that community and these companies?
I really liked your write up, especially where you told us about your concerns about California being behind on the offshore wind. I am confused on why California is trying so hard to reduce emissions, yet they are one of the highest producers. I am guessing it has something to do with the large population. My question is do you think wind energy could ever be the top energy source or is it too dependent on the weather?
I totally agree with you. Do you think that California will really be dependent on solely carbon free anergy by 2045, or do you not believe it?