Naval Energies, a company that specializes in marine renewable energy, has joined Offshore Wind California, an international association of offshore wind developers and technology companies focused on the California market.
Founded in October 2019 in San Francisco, the association represents industry leaders who support a goal of 10 GW of installed offshore wind capacity in California by 2040.
“We are very pleased to welcome Naval Energies to our organization,” says Adam Stern, executive director of Offshore Wind California.
“This French company will bring new talent and expertise to the California market. We look forward to working with the Naval Energies team as we advance policies for the responsible development of offshore wind in California,” he adds.
California has excellent wind resources to support floating wind turbines. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates the state’s technical capacity at 112 GW. This makes it an ideal resource to help California reach its goal of producing 100% of its electricity from renewable or zero-carbon energy by 2045.
In 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management identified three areas off the California coast for the development of offshore wind projects. Now federal and state authorities are working to reach agreement on the specific waters appropriate for leasing.
Naval Energies has more than 12 years of experience in floaters for wind turbines. In particular, the company plans to use its semi-submersible floater in a pilot wind farm in France on the Atlantic coast with the wind turbines of Groix & Belle-île. The area is representative of 80% of the conditions in which floating wind turbines will be installed around the world. This specific knowledge, together with Naval Energies’ work already underway on floaters for commercial wind farms, is an asset that will provide Offshore Wind California with solid technical expertise.
In addition to Naval Energies, the members of Offshore Wind California include Aker Solutions, Avangrid Renewables, Equinor, Magellan Wind, Mainstream Renewable Power, Northland Power, Orsted, Principle Power, Pacific Ocean Energy Trust and Smultea Sciences.
