California produces 20 percent of the nation's total wind capacity. |
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California possesses significant wind resources, stretching from the Oregon border to Mexico, with the largest concentration of high wind power areas in Southern California. California is a national leader in the production of wind energy (second to Texas), producing about 20 percent of the nation’s total capacity.
BLM public lands play a major role in this effort. Currently, about 3,062 wind turbines on public lands produce 420 megawatts of power and $1,385,295 annually in royalties. This production comes from 25 rights-of-way on 16,420 acres, most of which are located in the San Gorgonio Pass area in Riverside County and the Tehachapi Pass area in Kern County. These figures do not include development on private lands.
Industry interest is high, mostly due to the national focus on renewable energy, as well as the State of California's Renewable Portfolio Standards, evident from the surge in wind energy applications the California BLM has received. While most of these applications are currently for testing, a process which uses anemometers to judge wind strength and sustainability, the Tule Wind Energy Project was recently approved, the first wind energy generation project approved on public land since 2002, bringing much needed renewable electricity to the grid.
More than 3,062 turbines produce 420 megawatts of wind energy
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BLM also assists in development of wind energy projects on private lands by issuing access rights-of-way for roads and power lines across public lands to support such projects, such as the recently approved Pine Tree development in Kern County. Finally, efforts are also underway to “repower” existing systems to improve efficiency, reduce impacts to birds, and better integrate wind energy resources into the State’s transmission system, with recent examples in the Palm Springs area.
Wind turbines located in Tehachapi, California
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