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 the 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 3,000 wind turbines on public lands produce 234 megawatts of power and $600,000 annually in royalties. This production comes from 24 rights-of-way on 4,060 acres, mostly 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 described earlier. Applications for wind energy on public lands, mostly for testing at this stage, are increasing, with most of that activity in the California Desert. This testing process, which may take 2 to 3 years, involves using anemometers to judge wind strength and sustainability, and to evaluate various potential development options.
More than 3,000 turbines produce 234 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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