Wind power in California

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.^[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 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. ^[3]

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).^[2]

[edit] Installed capacity growth

The following table compares the growth in wind power installed nameplate capacity in MW for Texas, California, and the entire United States since 1999.^[4]

[edit] See also

Energy portal

United States portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wind power in California

• Wind power in Texas
• Wind power in the United States
• List of wind farms
• Clipper Windpower

[edit] References

1. ^ Major CA Wind Energy Resource Areas
2. ^ ^{a b} Overview of Wind Energy in California
3. ^ Iowa first in wind energy percentage, Des Moines Register, April 2, 2008
4. ^ "The Energy Report (Publication 96-1266). Chapter 11: Wind Power". Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (2008). Retrieved on 2008-12-06.