The Redwood Coast Energy Authority is issuing this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to select a qualified entity or group of entities to enter into a public-private partnership for pursuing the development of an offshore wind energy project off the Northern California coast.

Questions about this RFQ can be submitted in writing prior to February 9, 2018, 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. It is anticipated that any questions and answers will be distributed by February 14, 2018.   Statements of Qualifications are due February 28, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.  Responses should be submitted electronically via email in PDF file format.

Please submit all correspondence, questions and Statements of Qualifications to:

Lori Biondini, Director of Business Development and Planning
Redwood Coast Energy Authority
Email: lbiondini@redwoodenergy.org

The distribution list for this RFQ announcement is here. Please feel free to share with anyone else who may be interested.

For more information about this project visit our Offshore Wind page

The North Coast is a potentially-ideal location for developing offshore wind energy technologies, for a number of reasons:

1. The North Coast’s offshore wind energy generation potential is unparalleled in the United States. While this potential has long been known, recent advances in floating offshore wind foundations made the development of the local wind resource feasible — local water depths off our coastline are too deep for standard, fixed-bottom foundation offshore wind turbine installation, necessitating floating platform foundations.
2. Humboldt Bay is also the only deep-water port in California north of San Francisco Bay, and has substantial (and underutilized) port facilities and infrastructure that could be adapted to support offshore wind energy development locally as well as along the west coast more broadly.
3. Numerous U.S. Department of Energy projects and National Laboratory studies have featured the Humboldt Bay region in their analyses and assessments of offshore wind and wave energy potential, including the development of multiple reference models used to characterize the power performance, O&M, cost of energy, viability, and environmental effects of potential marine renewable energy projects. These past studies provide a valuable foundation for the planning and analysis required to evaluate and develop any potential project.

In alignment with its priories of developing local renewable resources as well as supporting energy-related local economic development, RCEA has begun actively exploring the potential to move forward with a local offshore wind energy project.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

RCEA Memorandum of Understanding with Principle Power

United States Annual Average Wind Speeds:

https://www.nrel.gov/gis/images/100m_Wind/awstwspd100onoff3-1.jpg

Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Responsible for issuing leases for offshore wind energy projects in federal waters, the mission of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is to manage development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf energy and mineral resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way.

https://www.boem.gov/california/

California Offshore Wind Energy Gateway

A joint project of BOEM, the CA Public Utilities Commission, and the CA Energy Commission, the Offshore Renewable Wind Energy Gateway assembles geospatial information on ocean wind resources, ecological and natural resources, ocean commercial and recreational uses and community values. This information will help identify areas off California that are potentially suitable for wind energy generation.

https://caoffshorewind.databasin.org/

High Road for Deep Water: Policy Options for a California Offshore Wind Industry

by Robert Collier, Center for Labor Research and Education, University of California, Berkeley

http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/pdf/2017/High-Road-for-Deep-Water.pdf

Potential Offshore Wind Energy Areas in California: An Assessment of Locations, Technology, and Costs

By the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy17osti/67414.pdf

Department of the Navy California Offshore Wind Compatibility Assessment:

In anticipation of growing interest in developing wind energy projects offshore California, the Department of the Navy has conducted a mission compatibility assessment for the outer continental shelf.  The compatibility assessment reflects the requirements of Navy and Marine Corps missions conducted in the air, on the surface, and below the surface of these waters.

http://greenfleet.dodlive.mil/rsc/department-of-the-navy-california-offshore-wind-compatibility/

This past May, Humboldt County became the eighth local jurisdiction in California to provide Community Choice Energy to its residents and businesses. Humboldt joined Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino, and several other counties and cities now offering an alternative way to buy electricity.

For years, investor-owned utilities like PG&E have been the only choice for most Californians when it comes to electricity supply. A state law adopted in 2003 allows local governments to procure electricity on behalf of local customers, with power delivery still handled by the local utility. This has allowed customers access to lower rates and more renewable power, with lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Humboldt County’s program comes courtesy of Redwood Coast Energy Authority, a trusted provider of energy efficiency services for over a decade. We’re pleased that the community has welcomed the program, with nearly 95% of electric customers choosing to take advantage of our cost savings and locally controlled service. Community Choice Energy is now available throughout the county, with the exception of Ferndale, which will join the program early in 2018.

In addition to our base program, which now provides over 40% renewable power to the county, we offer a 100% renewable REpower+ option. An average household pays just five to six dollars extra per month for this service. Two local municipalities, the Cities of Blue Lake and Arcata, have chosen to switch all their public facilities over to REpower+ and are now powering their operations on 100% renewable electricity.

Community Choice Energy is made possible by ratepayer dollars. At the same time we’re helping utility customers cut their electric bills, we’re also setting aside a portion of revenues that will be used to build new renewable energy projects, creating clean industry jobs for the people of Humboldt County.

Speaking of the people of Humboldt, all of you helped develop and set direction for this new program through the workshops and surveys you participated in during planning and startup. We continue to welcome the public to our monthly Board meetings – come let us know what you think. See our website for meeting schedules and agendas.