Abstract
At the end of 2012, California ranked second among all states in installed wind power capacity with 5.549 Giga-watts (GW). However, none of that wind power is being generated offshore. Different obstacles exist off the California coast, where the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) quickly drops off to waters deeper (greater than 50m) than conventional offshore platforms (e.g., monopile, jacket) can support wind turbines with economic efficiency. Therefore, floating turbine platforms will likely be necessary in the majority of potential offshore wind (OSW) farm locations. Our project explores the feasibility of OSW energy generation in central California. The region of interest (ROI) was limited to Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties.