Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Assessment of California Floating Offshore Wind Energy

Senate Bill 100 of California passed in 2018 establishes the requirement that 100% of the
state’s retail electricity be generated from eligible carbon-free resources by 2045. Given the high land prices and limited onshore wind resources in California, floating offshore wind represents a new carbon-free energy resource that can help California meet the Senate Bill 100 target. In order to facilitate the development of floating offshore wind projects in federal waters off the coast of California, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Pacific Region has tasked the Bren School with characterizing and assessing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the integration of offshore wind energy into California electricity markets. By performing a life cycle assessment (LCA) for a representative floating offshore wind project, the project's final report presents the first analysis of the life cycle GHG emissions of any offshore wind project in California.