Wind power in California
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Wind power in California has been an area of considerable activity for many years. California was the first U.S. state where large wind farms were developed, beginning in the early 1980's.[1] By 1995, California produced 30 percent of the entire world's wind-generated electricity.[2] However, this situation has changed and Texas is currently the leader in wind power development in the USA with a total installed capacity of 3,150 MW, followed by California with 2,361 MW.[3]
By the end of 2007, the gap between Texas and California had grown even wider, with Texas having a total installed capacity of 4,446 MW, while California lagged behind with only 2,439 MW. During 2007, while Texas added 1,618 MW of new capacity, California only added 63 MW. [4]
More than 13,000 of California's wind turbines, or 95 percent of all of California's wind output, are located in three primary regions: Altamont Pass Wind Farm (east of San Francisco); Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm (south east of Bakersfield) and San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm (near Palm Springs, east of Los Angeles).[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Major CA Wind Energy Resource Areas
- ^ Overview of Wind Energy in California
- ^ American Wind Energy Association
- ^ Iowa first in wind energy percentage, Des Moines Register, April 2, 2008
- ^ Overview of Wind Energy in California
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