Wind power in California has doubled in capacity since 2002. With a total of nearly 4,000 megawatts installed, as of the end of 2011, wind energy now supplies about 5% of California’s total electricity needs, or enough to power more than 400,000 households. In 2011, 921.3 megawatts were installed. Most of that activity occurred in the Tehachapi area of Kern County, with some big projects in Solano, Contra Costa and Riverside counties as well. California now ranks third nationwide in terms of capacity, behind Texas and Iowa.[1]
[edit] History
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 1980s.[2] By 1995, California produced 30 percent of the entire world's wind-generated electricity.[3] However, this situation has changed and Texas is currently the leader in wind power development in the USA followed by Iowa and then California.
Historically, most of California's wind power output has been 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).[3] A fourth area, the Montezuma Hills of Solano County, was developed in 2005-2009, with the large Shiloh Wind Power Plant.
As of 2010, work has begun on the Alta Wind Energy Center, a windfarm located in Tehachapi Pass in Kern County, California.[4] Kern County is reviewing a number of other proposed wind projects that would generate a combined 4,600 megawatts of renewable energy if approved.[5]
[edit] Installed capacity growth
Califronia Wind Generation Capacity by Year
 |
Megawatts of Installed Generating Capacity
since 2001[7] |
Wind power accounted for accounted for 3.3% of total electricity generated in California during 2010.[8] The following table shows the growth in wind power installed nameplate capacity in MW for California since 2001.[9][10]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Marla Dickerson (January 31, 2012). "Wind power blowing up in California". LA Times. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-wind-power-california-20120131,0,7573547.story.
- ^ Major CA Wind Energy Resource Areas
- ^ a b Overview of Wind Energy in California
- ^ World's Largest Wind Project is Underway Renewable Energy World, 29 July 2010.
- ^ California's largest wind power projects has been approved by Kern County 17 December 2009.
- ^ Cite error: Invalid
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- ^ "Wind Powering America: Installed U.S. Wind Capacity and Wind Project Locations". U.S. Department of Energy. 19 January 2012. http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_installed_capacity.asp. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
- ^ "Wind Energy Facts: California 2011-Q2". American Wind Energy Association. August 2011. http://www.awea.org/learnabout/publications/upload/California.pdf. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
- ^ Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (2010-03-05). "U.S. Installed Wind Capacity and Wind Project Locations". United States Department of Energy. http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_installed_capacity.asp. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
- ^ Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (2011-04-29). "Installed Wind Capacity by State". United States Department of Energy. http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/docs/installed_wind_capacity_by_state.xls. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
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