News
11/12/25 at 1:00 pm: Offshore Wind Jobs: Preparing Northern California Tribes and Local Communities (webinar)
Join the Pacific Offshore Wind Consortium for a discussion of current workforce development efforts to prepare Northern California Tribes and local communities for jobs in the offshore wind and related renewable energy sectors. Presentations will include findings from Humboldt County’s Offshore Wind Workforce Assessment, commissioned by the Humboldt County Workforce Development Board, a Board of the County of Economic Development Division, and from a recent Schatz Center report on professional labor demand in California’s floating offshore wind industry. Presenters will also highlight workforce development programs helping to prepare community members for offshore wind jobs, including the Ta’m Resiliency Campus at Blue Lake Rancheria and the Humboldt Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) Apprenticeship Readiness Program.
The webinar is free and open to the public. Learn more and register here.
For questions or accessibility requests, contact schatzenergy@humboldt.edu or call 707-826-4345.
10/29/25 at 5:30 pm: Power Behind the Redwood Curtain
A new report from the Schatz Energy Research Center provides a detailed historical account of the energy infrastructure that serves Humboldt County. Power Behind the Redwood Curtain: A History of Electric Transmission and Natural Gas Infrastructure in Humboldt County is written by Schatz Center director Arne Jacobson, and based on analysis of archival newspaper articles and documents, historic aerial photographs, and literature sources.
Jacobson chronicles the close connection between Humboldt County’s existing energy infrastructure and the timber industry. His report then links that history with contemporary opportunities and challenges, ranging from regional economic development and electricity reliability to offshore wind deployment and the State of California’s climate and clean energy goals.
Join us on Wednesday, October 29 from 5:30-7:00 pm in BSS 166 (next to the Native American Forum at Cal Poly Humboldt), for a presentation and discussion of this research. The event is free and open to the public. For questions or accessibility requests, please contact us at schatzenergy@humboldt.edu.
7/10/25 at 2:30 pm: Next up in the POWC webinar series — Permitting for offshore wind port infrastructure projects
For offshore wind energy projects to be developed in California, specialized port facilities—known as “staging and integration” sites—must be built to stage, assemble, and integrate massive floating offshore wind turbines before they are towed out to the designated offshore wind energy areas. This webinar will describe the key findings from our recently published report, Permitting for Port Infrastructure to Support Offshore Wind in California, and discuss permitting requirements for staging and integration sites, including those relating to Tribal consultation and public engagement. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with staff from the California State Lands Commission and California Coastal Commission to discuss each agency’s role in permitting these types of projects.
Panelists:
- Moderator: Awbrey Yost, Senior Policy Analyst, Schatz Energy Research Center
- Amy Vierra, Renewable Energy Specialist, California State Lands Commission
- Catherine Mitchell, North Coast Harbor Analyst, California Coastal Commission
- Dani Ziff, South Coast District Supervisor, California Coastal Commission
For questions about this webinar or to request technical or accessibility support, please contact schatzenergy@humboldt.edu or call 707-826-4345.
5/15/25: Permitting Report for California Offshore Wind Port Development
The Schatz Energy Research Center has released a report on Permitting for Port Infrastructure to Support Offshore Wind in California. This report identifies the numerous permitting and planning processes required to build port infrastructure for staging and integration sites in California — including approximately 20 authorizations from federal, state, and local agencies that project developers may need to obtain — and includes a potential permitting timeline based on existing statutory and regulatory deadlines. The report’s analysis applies statewide, but is also specifically applied to projects currently proposed in Wigi (Humboldt Bay) and the Port of Long Beach.
4/23/25: Evaluating seabird collision vulnerability to offshore wind development
The Schatz Energy Research Center has released the final report in their 3D seabird study – Evaluating Seabird Collision Vulnerability to Offshore Wind Development. This project was a collaborative effort: H. T. Harvey & Associates led analyses to understand where 44 species of seabirds have been observed, based on decades of existing data, and how those recorded species typically behave within the vertical air column in response to wind speed. Simultaneously, the Schatz Center team analyzed wind speeds and associated power generation potential across the region – and then integrated the bird vulnerability framework with the wind power generation model to understand potential tradeoffs.
4/22/25: Labor Report for California Floating Offshore Wind
The Schatz Energy Research Center has released a report on California Floating Offshore Wind: Evaluating Workforce Analyses and Assessing Professional Labor Needs. This report offers new insights into the professional workforce that will be needed in order to deploy floating offshore wind (FOSW) in California. The report (a) evaluates existing workforce analyses and tools, (b) examines key factors influencing job projections, and (c) assesses professional labor needs across multiple industry activities, including project development, supply chain, operations and maintenance, port development, and transmission infrastructure. Learn more here…
3/25/25: Internship and professional development opportunities
We recently compiled a list of internship and professional development opportunities in the offshore wind sector. If you are interested in receiving updates, or would like to add your opportunity to upcoming lists, please contact us.
2/25/25: West Coast Perspectives on Ocean Renewable Energy
What factors influence people’s different responses to proposed offshore wind and wave energy developments – and what might the implications for future siting and permitting processes be? In this webinar, Hilary Boudet and Gregory Stelmach of Oregon State University shared insights from their ongoing studies of community perspectives toward marine renewables development.