Tehachapi Pass Wind Farms
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Windmill or wind turbines began appearing in the Tehachapi pass in the 1980's.
The area is one of California's largest wind resources for power generation.
Many different styles of wind turbines can be seen in the area as it changed
over the years. The one to the left of this text are older style but not the
oldest. |
click photo to enlarge |
Older installations generate kilowatts per turbine while newer models can
generate up to 3 Megawatts. California state law requires that at least 33
percent of the electricity delivered to customers be produced by renewable
sources by 2020. Southern California Edison in order to meet this need is
signing up solar customers and entering agreements wit the wind farms around
the state. While in Tehachapi we learned about some of the pros and cons.
Without having given it much thought I just assumed windmills were good. But
it seems if you live by or near them they can be noisy and the blades
spinning can cause a strobe effect on the sun light. |
click photo to enlarge |
A few months back I read an article in Forbes magazine about the come back
of the California Condor and the wind farms. The condor was near
extinction and is stating a great comeback and this is a hindrance for the
wind farms. As the Condors are coming back they are expanding their range
and getting closer to the area. Under the federal and California
endangered species acts, it’s illegal for anyone to kill a condor without
first securing a permit to do so. If a wind mill kills a Condor the owner
could be charged criminally. There are currently manufacturers working on
new radar systems, that if a Condor is spotted in the area, will shut down
the wind farms. On the other side of the coin we learned how all of the
motels and restaurants are doing a good business with al the construction
going on in the area and new jobs caring for the wind farms. |
click photo to enlarge |
click photo to enlarge |
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