On April 26th, WRISE San Diego joined WRISE Los Angeles to learn about offshore wind development in the United States from Dr. Matt Shields, Senior Offshore Wind Analyst at NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory).
Dr. Shields covered national/federal deployment targets, state policies, ongoing activities, and BOEM leasing activities. The focus was on floating offshore wind technology, which is being pursued on the west coast due to water depth considerations. He discussed the costs, feasibility, spatial variations, key drivers, and infrastructure challenges such as ports and transmission. Stakeholder engagement and outreach were emphasized, with questions from the audience addressed.