The U.S. government held its first-ever lease sale for offshore wind energy development rights off the coast of California Dec. 7, drawing more than $757 million in high bids from five companies.
In all, 43 companies bid for the chance to build massive floating wind turbines in two regions: Morro Bay in central California and Humboldt County along the state’s northern coast near Oregon. The leases cover a combined 373,267 acres.
The projects have years of regulatory hurdles to overcome but could result in the nation’s first commercial floating wind turbine farms. The turbines would be about 20 miles away from shore and would be designed to float on platforms anchored to the ocean floor by cables….