Abstract Accelerating offshore wind power deployment, a critical but underutilized resource for decarbonizing power systems, requires balancing national and local interests. Using China, the global leader in offshore wind, as a case study, here we evaluate how its deployment creates benefits, such as improved energy self-sufficiency, greater resource diversity, enhanced grid reliability, and increased local investment and employment. Our results show that offshore wind can bolster the energy self-sufficiency of coastal provinces, shifting them from net electricity importers to exporters. Furthermore, expanding offshore wind reduces the need for energy storage in a grid with high renewable penetration and drives substantial local investment and job creation. After quantifying uncertainties in policies, technology costs, and electricity demand, we find offshore wind could provide 3–18% of China’s electricity by 2050. Aligning local interests with offshore wind development can facilitate more ambitious targets and accelerate power system decarbonization with limited increases in system costs.
Peng et al. (Mon,) studied this question.