PANELISTS

Molly Tirpak Sterkel
Program Manager, Infrastructure Planning and Permitting Branch Energy Division
CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

Walter Musial
Principal Engineer, Offshore Wind Platform Lead
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

Chris Busch
Research Director
ENERGY INNOVATION LLC

Eddie Ahn
Executive Director
BRIGHTLINE DEFENSE

Energy procurement in California is undergoing dramatic change. SB 100 requires that 100 percent of electricity come from renewable or zero-carbon sources by 2045, and the Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) process is changing to meet these ambitious goals. In the fall of 2019, offshore wind was for the first time included in the Proposed System Reference Plan. In addition, Resource Adequacy concerns are driving procurements to meet capacity needs and offshore wind can play a role here, too. At the same time, the state is moving aggressively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector; a sustainable offshore wind industry in the state will serve to significantly reduce GHG emissions.

Please join us for our second webinar, How Offshore Wind Supports California’s Renewable Energy and Greenhouse Gas Initiatives. Top experts will share the latest on the state’s IRP process and the most likely pathways to increase renewables and reduce emissions.

1. What are the most important new inputs and assumptions about offshore wind that can go into the state’s energy planning model?
2. How does offshore wind measure up on the criteria of cost, grid reliability, GHG emissions, and minimizing air pollution impacts on disadvantaged communities?
3. What solutions will enable Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) to procure power from offshore wind?
4. Can offshore wind help accelerate the retirement of natural gas power plants in California?
5. What lessons from East Coast energy planning processes can be applied to California?