This solicitation focuses on advancing designs of floating offshore wind (FOSW) substations and entanglement monitoring technologies as they relate to the site-specific needs of California’s WEAs. Strategic designs of HVDC substations and entanglement monitoring technologies provide the opportunity to ensure sustainable, cost-effective designs consistent with federal and state planning and to increase the potential for understanding and mitigation of possible environmental impacts from these technologies early in the design process. Projects resulting from this solicitation may inform permitting agencies, such as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the California Coastal Commission and provide valuable inputs for the California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO) transmission planning process.
Projects must fall within the following project groups:
Group 1: Design and Analysis of HVDC Substations for FOSW; and
Group 2: Entanglement Monitoring Solutions for FOSW.
Group 1 will develop concept designs for a floating or subsea offshore HVDC substation and inform standardized approaches for FOSW electrical infrastructure to support the specific needs of California’s WEAs. Strategically designed offshore HVDC substations and associated electrical infrastructure are needed to (1) minimize risks and costs associated with deploying novel FOSW technologies; (2) ensure suitability for the distances, depths, and challenges in California’s offshore environment; (3) minimize impacts to the environment; and (4) provide ancillary services to support grid reliability. Investments in strategic designs will provide shared knowledge to encourage FOSW developers to adopt standardized approaches and avoid bespoke solutions that would increase costs to ratepayers, as well as to ensure that environmental considerations are embedded in the initial planning stages.
Group 2 will support projects to advance systems that can perform entanglement[2] monitoring, environmental monitoring, and/or structural integrity monitoring for FOSW infrastructure. Recent BOEM conditions of approval for fixed-bottom offshore wind Construction and Operations Plans (COPs) include entanglement monitoring, continuous environmental monitoring, post-storm event inspections, and structural integrity monitoring program requirements.[3],[4] Advancements in an integrated approach to site monitoring systems are needed to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of entanglement detection and lower monitoring system costs. These advancements should reduce the need for surface vessel deployments and reduce or eliminate redundant and overlapping sensor coverage (i.e., optimize the use of equipment installed on site by having multifunctional sensors). Expected outcomes include development of an entanglement monitoring system that includes additional environmental and/or structural integrity monitoring functions to decrease the overall cost and environmental impacts of FOSW infrastructure deployments.
Project teams will be expected to have demonstrated expertise necessary to accomplish the objectives below. Applicants are encouraged to seek input from, or partner with, California offshore wind developers and original equipment manufacturers to ensure commercial feasibility of the innovation(s).
Amount Available and Minimum/ Maximum Funding Amounts
There is up to $12 million available for grants awarded under this solicitation. The total, minimum, and maximum funding amounts for each project group are listed below.
Project Group | Available CEC funding | Minimum CEC award | Maximum CEC award | Minimum total match share percentage |
Group 1: Design and Analysis of HVDC Substations for FOSW | $6,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $4,000,000 | 10%12 |
Group 2: Entanglement Monitoring Solutions for FOSW | $6,000,000 | $1,500,000 | $3,000,000 | 20% |
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