Wind energy

Drops in solar and wind energy production, also known as energy droughts, could potentially last for hours in the Pacific Northwest. New research is aimed at helping grid planners better understand these energy gaps and where solutions, like battery storage, could be best utilized.

Big floating offshore wind turbines will soon become a reality along the West Coast.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, along with six state agencies, declared their support this week for the federal government’s proposal to allow floating offshore wind energy projects off Oregon’s south coast, despite mixed feelings from local communities, the fishing industry and Tribes.

Massive ocean wind farms off Morro Bay and Santa Barbara County — which could transform these quiet coastal towns and affect marine life — face a turbulent path.

Ocean wind farms are essential to electrify California’s grid with 100% clean energy. But they’re a giant, costly experiment — no one knows how hundreds of towering turbines will transform the remote North Coast.

A team of Oregon State University researchers were recently awarded $2.5 million to study the attitudes and feelings coastal residents have about potential offshore wind energy projects.

A law signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday aims to speed up the process for new offshore wind development.

The Fountain Wind project proposal includes 48 turbines that would generate about 205 megawatts of power.

With the climate rapidly changing, researchers are trying to find ways to make clean energy developments less expensive and easier to build. For the Northwest, offshore wind power could play a critical role, but it also presents major challenges.

In Oregon, some utilities have begun ramping up renewable energy to meet the state's clean energy goals, but there’s a problem: The energy generated from these sources can only be used when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.

Despite expecting 12.5 million electric cars by 2035, California officials insist that the grid can provide enough electricity. But that’s based on multiple assumptions — including building solar and wind at almost five times the pace of the past decade — that may not be realistic.

A federal offshore wind lease auction in December off California's coast promises to kickstart a work boom on the state's northern and central coasts.