Wind Power in Southern Cali

Every time we take a drive I snap countless pictures of the humbling wind turbines nearby. With the state of the air, pollution and how pricy fossil fuels are wind seems the best way to get energy these days...especially in the Tehachapee (pronounced ta hatch' a pee) area.

Below is an excellent article I found in TehachapiCentral.com

Wind On The Farm and in the Bank

Unique geography -- and some pioneering entrepreneurs -- have made the greater Tehachapi area one of the world's leading wind energy centers. Spawned by tax incentives and favorable legislation in the wake of the 1970s energy crisis, California was the first state to develop large wind farms.

The Tehachapi area is still one of the world's leading wind energy producers. Prevailing northwesterly winds blow through passes in the Tehachapi Mountains that connect the San Joaquin Valley with the Mojave Desert. The best winds occur from March to September, averaging 15-20 miles per hour.

The wind energy revolution began on Tehachapi's windy eastern hills in the early 1980s. In the early years a variety of wind turbine technologies were tried out, including Darrieus vertical "egg beater" turbines. The picturesque egg beaters are gone now and most of the early wind farms have been redeveloped with ever larger and ever more efficient units. Because wind energy is becoming more and more cost effective, Tehachapi area wind farms continue to expand, pumping increasing amounts of clean power into California's grid.

While early turbines could produce only 10 kilowatts of power at maximum output, advances in technology have radically increased power output. Typical new installations in the area feature turbines capable of generating multiple megawatt power outputs.

Zond Systems, founded in Tehachapi in 1980, was one of the world's pioneer manufacturers of modern wind turbines. Acquired by the now-defunct Enron in 1997, the Zond legacy of steadily advancing technology has accelerated since its mid-2002 purchase by General Electric. GE Wind is now one of the area's largest and fastest growing employers, manufacturing turbines rated at between 1.5 and 3.6 megawatts (MW) of output. GE's latest 3.6 MW monster, aimed at the booming global market for offshore windfarms, features a rotor diameter of 341 feet. That's longer than a football field.

As size has increased, cost per kilowatt hour generated has radically decreased and is still shrinking. Current costs are around 3.5 to 4 cents per kilowatt hour, less expensive than coal, oil, nuclear and most natural gas-fired generation.

Special Note About Article
*Tehachapi's roughly 5,000 wind plants offset the emission of more than seven million pounds of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulates that otherwise would be produced by relatively clean burning natural gas. They also offset 1.1 billion pounds of greenhouse gases each year.

To arrange for a tour of Tehachapi wind farms, contact Linda White, executive director of the Kern Wind Energy Association. Call her at 661-831-1038 or email Linda at kweawhite@aol.com.*