Op-ed Alex Walker-Griffen, former mayor Hercules and current council member
July 28, 2024
The intensity and frequency of wildfires, drought, and torrential rains show us that we are in a climate emergency. We need to decarbonize the electric power sector to hold back the extreme weather caused by an overheating planet due to fossil fuel usage. The good news is that renewable energy is now cheaper and more reliable than fossil fuel for power.
We need a large-scale renewable energy system to transition away from our dependence on fossil fuels. The real possibility of transitioning our entire economy to run on 100 percent renewable energy will become a reality when floating offshore wind turbines off our coast begin feeding the grid.
Offshore wind energy is how we will achieve our climate protection and clean air goals. With consistent strong offshore wind that never stops, California can be powered day and night to meet our energy needs. It will reduce our reliance on fossil-fuel power plants until the day they are no longer needed.
The more we electrify our transportation, the more we will appreciate how offshore wind energy can power them. Along with the other clean energy sources we will be able to power our buildings, and raise the quality of life for all Californians as environmental justice takes root. Hence the level of central procurement for the offshore wind buildout that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) determines is critical for success.
The overall plan is to produce 25 GW of offshore wind power by 2045 is exactly what is needed. As the CPUC prepares to issue a ruling on Centralized Procurement of Specified Long Lead-Time Resources, I urge them to plan for the procurement of 10 GW of that through 2035. When we achieve this goal, we will be established as the key state that has the infrastructure in place, industry know-how and workforce.
An equitable central procurement program would provide tangible opportunities for local Tribes, communities, and California workers. The offshore wind buildout will add thousands of good paying union jobs up and down the coast and local economies will flourish as more is spent in their communities. In addition to on site construction jobs it will support the greater economy because the consistent stream of workers will provide much needed dollars to the local community. The jobs can help raise property values and provide better schooling opportunities for the children that live there.
This is a once in a generation opportunity for us to capture never ending clean energy in large quantities that will spur significant economic development in our clean energy transition from dirty global warming fossil fuels.
The exciting thing about offshore wind is that it represents a massive, untapped resource just beyond our shores in deep federal waters. The turbines will barely be visible on their floating platforms.
The amount of energy the new resource could provide means we will need to construct new infrastructure to handle all the different aspects of the build out and maintenance. Central procurement will also enable progress and planning for workforce development. In our area we could have classes at our educational institutions to train workers in the skilled jobs required for the industry. It would be a significant opportunity we can’t miss.
in addition to jobs on the sites of construction it will also support the greater economy because consistent stream of workers will provide much needed dollars to the local community. The jobs can help raise property values and provide better schooling opportunities for the children they live there.
Central procurement will determine how much our state is at the forefront of this new, infrastructure-based industry. With the right central procurement policy, California could also supply the needs of states to the north who are exploring avenues for their own offshore wind needs, and Hawaii.
With the passage of Assembly Bill 1373, lawmakers acknowledged California’s climate goals required new tools. They understood a central procurement mechanism for large-scale, capital-intensive resources like offshore wind is critical to success. We’ve done similar measures before with low emission vehicles and solar panels. Now, the CPUC can ensure the success of AB 1373 as it puts a substantial central procurement plan into action.
To achieve a clean, net-zero electric system by 2045 timing is essential. We cannot afford to move at a snail’s pace. This is a race to ensure stability of our electric needs, and to protect public health from the dangers posed by continuing to use fossil fuels.
California’s energy transition requires a rapid, transformative approach with an initial large-scale offshore wind procurement. A target on the order of 10 GW of offshore wind energy by 2035, would be the right level of central procurement to allow multiple offshore wind projects to proceed simultaneously, and economies of scale to happen. This would allow costs to go down and help facilitate the build out of ports, transmission and supply chain infrastructure. Decisive, long-term planning now will protect the environment and ratepayers while spurring investment in California’s clean energy economy. The path we chart today for offshore wind will determine the tools it has to confront the climate crisis, protect public health, promote reliability, and decarbonize its grid. This is the future.