A California wind renaissance?

Articles — By forcechange on November 20, 2008 12:06 pm

The Tehachapi Wind Farm, one of three major wind plants in California, is slated to get a new transmission line that will permit it to grow an additional 4,500 MW. 

Anyone who has driven up highway 14 north of Los Angeles is familiar with the thousands of iconic windmills dotting the landscape off to the west side of the road.  This wind farm was originally built in the early 1980′s and previously had 5,500 wind turbines.  However, due to technology advances, only 3,500 turbines are required to do the same job today.

The transmission upgrades will allow the farm to grow substantially in coming years.  The Tehachapi farm, along with the Altamont Pass and San Gorgonio Pass farms, make up 95% of the state’s approximate 2,400 mw of wind energy generation.  California, which used to be the leader in US wind energy development, has long since been surpassed by Texas, which has rapidly been adding new capacity.

Hopefully California will regain some of its lost leadership from Schwarzenegger’s recently issued executive order that calls for the state to generate one-third of its total power from renewable sources by 2020.

Photo credit.