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Tehachapi Pass wind farm

The Tehachapi Pass wind farm is a dispersed array of wind turbine generators situated in the Tehachapi Pass region of Kern County, California, spanning the Tehachapi Mountains and encompassing the broader Tehachapi-Mojave Wind Resource Area.^[1] This facility, one of the earliest large-scale wind power developments in the United States initiated during the 1980s, features approximately 4,731 turbines of varying sizes and vintages, with a combined nameplate capacity exceeding 3,200 megawatts.^[1]^[2] Development began with smaller turbines producing 25 to 60 kilowatts each, evolving to include modern larger units as part of projects such as the Alta Wind Energy Center, which alone contributes 1,550 megawatts and ranks among the largest wind farms in the country.^[3]^[4] The farm's output, averaging over 3 billion kilowatt-hours annually in aggregate across its components, supplies electricity primarily to the California grid via transmission lines built to accommodate remote renewable generation.^[5]^[6] While celebrated for pioneering wind energy deployment and powering roughly 350,000 households, the site's aging infrastructure has prompted ongoing repowering efforts to replace inefficient older turbines with higher-capacity models, addressing capacity factors limited by wind intermittency and mechanical reliability.^[1]^[7] No major site-specific controversies dominate records, though general wind farm operations involve documented wildlife impacts from turbine collisions, balanced against empirical benefits in displacing fossil fuel generation on a marginal basis.^[8]

Location and Geography

Topography and Wind Dynamics

![Tehachapi Pass wind farm and Alta Wind Energy Center from space, 2019](./assets/Central_part_of_Tehachapi_Wind_Resource_Area_Alta_Wind_Energy_Center%252C_Tehachapi_Pass_wind_farm The Tehachapi Pass forms a critical topographic feature within the Tehachapi Mountains of Kern County, California, at an elevation of approximately 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above sea level.^[9] This east-west oriented mountain pass serves as a natural divide between the San Joaquin Valley to the northwest and the Antelope Valley portion of the Mojave Desert to the southeast, characterized by rugged terrain rising to average elevations of 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) in the surrounding mountains.^[9] The pass's configuration, including its constriction amid higher ridges, creates a funneling effect for airflow, enhanced by the underlying geology of crystalline gneiss complexes and metasedimentary rocks that contribute to the stable, elevated landscape.^[10] Wind dynamics in the Tehachapi Pass are driven primarily by the venturi effect, where the topographic narrowing accelerates prevailing westerly winds originating from pressure gradients between the cooler Pacific-influenced Central Valley and the warmer interior desert.^[11] Annual average wind speeds through the pass range from 14 to 20 miles per hour (23 to 32 kilometers per hour), with velocities increasing due to channeling and diurnal mountain-valley breeze circulations influenced by local terrain relief.^[3] These patterns are further amplified by synoptic-scale flows, including jet stream influences from the Pacific, which interact with the pass's orientation to sustain consistent high-speed winds suitable for large-scale wind energy extraction.^[12] The combination of regional pressure differentials and local topographic forcing results in a persistent wind resource, with peak activity often tied to seasonal transitions and daily heating cycles.^[11]

Site Selection Rationale

The Tehachapi Pass was selected for wind farm development due to its superior natural wind resources, shaped by the interplay of regional topography and atmospheric dynamics. The pass serves as a narrow corridor between the Mojave Desert to the south and the San Joaquin Valley to the north, where the venturi effect compresses and accelerates airflow, generating consistently high wind speeds. During summer months, intense solar heating over the desert creates a thermal low-pressure area, causing hot air to rise and pulling cooler, denser marine air from the Pacific Ocean inland through the constricted pass, which further intensifies velocities.^[13]^[11]^[14] These conditions yield average wind speeds of 14 to 20 miles per hour (approximately 6.3 to 8.9 meters per second) year-round, with the area rated as wind power class 6 on the standard 1-7 scale—one of the world's premier sites for utility-scale generation. Winds are strongest from April to October, peaking in the afternoons, which aligns with California's seasonal spikes in electricity demand driven by air conditioning loads.^[3]^[13] Variations occur with terrain elevation, time of day, and seasonal shifts, but the overall reliability supported early commercialization in the 1980s by pioneers like James Dehlsen, who identified the pass's potential after wind resource assessments.^[14]^[3] Economic viability was enhanced by the site's logistical advantages, including its relative proximity to major load centers in the Los Angeles Basin—about 100 miles south—which reduces the need for extensive new transmission infrastructure, lowers line losses, and minimizes costs compared to more remote windy areas. Power from the region integrates efficiently into the grid via Southern California Edison's Windhub substation and the 500-kilovolt Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project, enabling delivery to substations like Mira Loma without prohibitive upgrades.^[14]^[11] This combination of abundant, predictable winds and accessible markets positioned Tehachapi as a foundational hub for U.S. wind energy, predating broader national expansions.^[3]

History

Early Pioneering Phase (1980s)

![Early Micon wind turbine][float-right] Wind development in the Tehachapi Pass initiated in the early 1980s, propelled by California's wind resource assessments and incentives under the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, which encouraged utilities like Southern California Edison to purchase power from independent producers. Pioneering efforts included the establishment of Zond Corporation by James Dehlsen, who selected the area after evaluating multiple California sites for its consistent wind speeds exceeding 20 mph annually. Zond focused on developing horizontal-axis turbines suited to the terrain's channeled winds.^[14]^[15] Oak Creek Energy Systems emerged as another foundational developer, importing initial Danish turbines including Micon, Bonus, and Vestas models—the first of their kind deployed commercially in the United States. These early installations featured small-scale horizontal-axis machines rated at 65 kilowatts, with rotor diameters around 15 meters and hub heights of 25 to 30 meters, producing power intermittently based on variable winds. By mid-decade, such turbines dotted the ridges, with projects like those by Westwind Energy contributing to initial grid connections.^[16]^[3]^[17] The phase was characterized by technological experimentation amid high failure rates, exemplified by Transpower Corporation's unorthodox "flying clothesline" system using cable-suspended cloth sails in vertical arrays, tested around 1983 but ultimately abandoned due to mechanical unreliability and low efficiency. Despite challenges like turbine downtime exceeding 30% from gearbox issues and blade fatigue, the cumulative output reached several megawatts by 1985, validating the site's viability and attracting dozens of developers. Power purchase agreements with Southern California Edison sustained operations, laying groundwork for scaled expansion.^[18]^[19]

Expansion and Modernization (1990s-2010s)

During the 1990s, the Tehachapi Pass wind farm underwent significant repowering initiatives to replace early-generation, low-efficiency turbines with more advanced models. In 1999, FPL Energy repowered the former FloWind site on Cameron Ridge by removing vertical-axis "eggbeater" turbines and installing larger horizontal-axis NEG-Micon and Vestas models, enhancing output and reliability.^[20] Similarly, Oak Creek Energy deployed NEG-Micon turbines at the Zephyr site, while SeaWest (later acquired by Mitsubishi) upgraded older units to new turbines on taller towers, improving energy capture despite aesthetic changes to the landscape.^[21] These efforts reflected a broader industry shift toward three-bladed, upwind rotors, with installed capacity reaching approximately 785 megawatts by the early 2000s through such modernizations.^[3] Ownership transitions facilitated further development, as Zond— a key early operator—was acquired by Enron in the late 1990s, rebranding as Enron Wind and continuing operations amid the California energy market's evolution.^[21] By the mid-2000s, operational capacity stood at over 645 megawatts, primarily connected to Southern California Edison's grid, though transmission constraints limited growth.^[22] The 2000s saw planning for large-scale expansion, culminating in the Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project (TRTP), initiated in 2008 to deliver up to 4,500 megawatts from the region.^[3] Phase 1 of TRTP, completed by 2010 at a cost of $1.8 billion, boosted California's wind capacity by about 25 percent and enabled subsequent projects.^[3] In the early 2010s, the Alta Wind Energy Center marked a major modernization phase within the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area, adding over 1,550 megawatts through phased construction starting in 2010.^[23] Developed initially by Oak Creek Energy and secured with a 20-year power purchase agreement with Southern California Edison, Alta's phases utilized GE 1.5-megawatt and Vestas V90 turbines, with units I-V operational by 2011 and later phases like VII-IX completed by 2012.^[3]^[23] Concurrently, projects such as Coram Ridge (34 Vestas V90 turbines, construction from 2010) and Windstar (Gamesa G52, G80, and G87 models, from 2010) contributed to repowering and capacity growth, transitioning the area toward utility-scale, high-efficiency operations.^[3]

Recent Developments (2020s)

In 2021, the Wind Wall 1 project repowered an existing site in the Tehachapi Pass area by replacing over 400 older turbines with a capacity of approximately 36 MW with 13 modern Vestas V126 turbines totaling 46.5 MW, tripling the site's energy output to an estimated 47 GWh annually.^[24]^[25] The project, developed by Eolus and sold to Cubico Sustainable Investments, secured a 15-year power purchase agreement with Amazon and achieved commercial operation in July 2021, demonstrating the economic viability of upgrading legacy infrastructure to leverage consistent wind resources while reducing turbine density and visual impact.^[7] The Tehachapi Energy Storage Facility, operated by Terra-Gen, entered commercial operation in 2020 with a 77 MW lithium-ion battery system designed for short-duration grid support, enhancing reliability by storing excess wind-generated power and dispatching it during peak demand to mitigate intermittency in the region's variable output.^[26] This facility complements the area's wind generation by providing frequency regulation and ramping services to Southern California Edison's grid, reflecting a broader trend toward hybrid renewable setups amid California's push for higher renewable penetration.^[27] In March 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved the Alta Wind Battery Energy Storage System, a 150 MW / 1,200 MWh facility co-located with the existing Alta Wind Energy Center in Kern County, enabling better integration of wind output through arbitrage and ancillary services.^[28]^[29] Developed by Clearway Energy Group, the project addresses transmission constraints and supports California's storage mandates, with construction anticipated to boost overall site efficiency without expanding turbine footprint.^[30] Additional repowering efforts include the planned 15.5 MW upgrade at Tehachapi Windplant II, slated for 2025, which aims to modernize aging assets for improved capacity factors and reduced maintenance costs in line with federal incentives for turbine replacement.^[31] These initiatives underscore a focus on lifecycle extensions and storage augmentation rather than net capacity growth, driven by maturing wind technology and grid stability needs in the 2020s.

Technical Specifications

Turbine Technology and Evolution

The Tehachapi Pass wind farm began operations in the early 1980s with small-scale horizontal-axis turbines, typically rated at 25 to 60 kilowatts and standing 45 to 60 feet tall, featuring single- or double-blade designs optimized for high rotational speeds.^[3] Some installations included vertical-axis Darrieus rotors from FloWind, which were later disassembled due to lower productivity and to free space for more efficient models.^[32] Commercial turbines of 30 kilowatts were operational by 1981, representing early efforts in utility-scale wind energy amid technological limitations like frequent mechanical failures.^[33] Repowering initiatives started in the 1990s and accelerated through the 2000s, systematically replacing aging small turbines with larger three-blade horizontal-axis models to boost output and reliability.^[3] This process involved scrapping obsolete units, such as the Darrieus types on Cameron Ridge, and installing modern generators from manufacturers like Vestas (e.g., V90 series), Gamesa (e.g., G80 and G87), GE (1.5-megawatt class), and Clipper Windpower.^[32]^[3] By the 2010s, turbine hub heights reached 400 to 500 feet, with capacities scaling to 1 to 4 megawatts, enabling higher capacity factors exceeding 40% in the region's consistent winds.^[3]^[34] Contemporary evolution emphasizes ongoing upgrades for enhanced efficiency and grid integration, with four generations of technology coexisting across the site as of 2010, contributing to a total installed capacity of approximately 785 megawatts from repowered and new installations.^[3] These advancements stem from aerodynamic improvements, stronger materials, and variable-speed controls, reducing downtime and increasing energy capture compared to early fixed-speed, high-maintenance designs.^[3] Repowering has extended site viability, with projects like those at Oak Creek Energy continuing into the 2010s to replace underperforming legacy turbines.^[3]

Capacity, Output, and Performance Metrics

The Tehachapi Wind Resource Area, encompassing the Tehachapi Pass wind farm and associated developments, features a total installed capacity of approximately 3,160 megawatts (MW) across roughly 4,700 turbines as of recent assessments by the California Wind Energy Association.^[35] This capacity has grown significantly from the original installations in the 1980s, which totaled around 700 MW from older turbine models, through phased expansions incorporating larger, more efficient units.^[34] Key sub-projects, such as the Alta Wind Energy Center within the area, contribute 1,550 MW from about 600 turbines, representing one of the largest concentrations of wind generation in the United States.^[36] Annual energy output for the broader area is not centrally aggregated in public records, but component facilities provide indicative figures; for instance, the Alta Wind Energy Center generated an average of 3,189 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year during its early operational phase, equivalent to powering approximately 300,000 households annually under baseline conditions.^[37] In 2018, the Tehachapi area accounted for 54% of California's total net wind generation, underscoring its outsized role in statewide output amid variable wind regimes.^[38] Actual production fluctuates with seasonal wind patterns, peaking in spring and fall due to channeled airflow through the pass. Performance metrics, including capacity factors (the ratio of actual output to maximum possible output), vary by turbine vintage and site-specific conditions. Early 1980s installations in Tehachapi Pass achieved capacity factors around 19-25%, limited by smaller rotor sizes and mechanical inefficiencies in first-generation machines.^[39] Modern repowered or new turbines in the area exceed 40% in optimal configurations, outperforming the U.S. wind fleet average of about 36% as of the late 2000s, thanks to taller hubs capturing stronger winds aloft and advanced variable-speed controls.^[34] For the Alta facilities specifically, average capacity factors ranged from 23% to 33% between 2014 and 2019, reflecting real-world degradation from factors like wake effects in dense arrays and curtailment during grid constraints.^[40] Availability rates for operational turbines typically exceed 95%, though maintenance on legacy units can reduce effective uptime.^[41] ![Tehachapi Pass wind turbines][float-right] These metrics highlight the area's evolution from pioneering low-output farms to a high-volume generator, though inherent intermittency—tied to diurnal and topographic wind channeling—necessitates complementary grid infrastructure for reliable dispatch.^[42]

Operations and Infrastructure

Ownership and Management

The Tehachapi Pass wind farm, formally part of the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area (TWRA) spanning Kern County, California, operates as a decentralized collection of independent wind projects rather than under unified ownership. Development and management involve multiple private entities, with no overarching corporate or governmental owner controlling the entire 745-square-mile resource area. Individual projects, totaling over 3,200 megawatts of installed capacity as of recent assessments, are owned and operated by approximately a dozen companies, reflecting fragmented private investment driven by federal incentives and state renewable mandates.^[1] Terra-Gen Power, a New York-headquartered firm, serves as the primary owner and operator of the Alta Wind Energy Center, the largest sub-component within the TWRA, encompassing phases I through XI with a combined capacity exceeding 1,500 megawatts. Commissioned progressively from 2010 onward, Alta's facilities generate electricity sufficient for approximately 450,000 California households annually, with Terra-Gen handling day-to-day operations, maintenance, and grid integration under long-term power purchase agreements.^[2]^[43] Other notable operators include NRG Renewables, which holds 100% ownership of specific Alta phases such as Alta Wind Energy Center V (150 megawatts, operational since 2010), and EDP Renewables for projects like the Rising Tree Wind Farm (three phases totaling around 100 megawatts near Mojave). Historical developers like Oak Creek Energy contributed to early expansions but transferred equity to turbine vendors and subsequent owners by the 1990s, while CalWind Resources manages legacy sites from the 1980s pioneering era.^[44]^[45]^[46] The Wind Energy Consortium of the Antelope Tehachapi (WECAT), formed as a nonprofit alliance of 24 TWRA-based companies, facilitates collective management aspects such as avian impact mitigation, regulatory compliance, and advocacy with agencies like the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which oversees public-land portions via right-of-way grants. This consortium model addresses shared challenges like grid upgrades and environmental monitoring without centralizing ownership.^[47]

Grid Integration and Storage Projects

The Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project (TRTP), developed by Southern California Edison (SCE), consists of approximately 173 miles of new and upgraded high-voltage transmission lines and substations designed to integrate up to 4,500 megawatts (MW) of wind-generated electricity from the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area into SCE's grid and the broader California Independent System Operator (CAISO) network.^[48] Construction occurred in multiple segments starting in the late 2000s, with some portions, such as Segment 11 in Chino Hills, undergrounded following local regulatory approvals to mitigate visual and environmental concerns.^[49] The project addressed transmission constraints that previously limited wind export from the area, enabling delivery of power sufficient for about three million homes while supporting California's renewable portfolio standard goals.^[50] Complementing grid integration efforts, the Tehachapi Energy Storage Project (TSP), an 8 MW / 32 megawatt-hour (MWh) lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) at SCE's Monolith Substation, operated from 2012 to 2022 as a demonstration for mitigating wind intermittency.^[42] Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, the TSP provided services including wind output smoothing, frequency regulation, and ramp rate control, validating BESS capabilities for large-scale renewable integration amid challenges like variable wind patterns in Tehachapi Pass.^[51] Decommissioned after proving technical feasibility, it informed subsequent CAISO market participation rules for storage resources.^[52] A more recent storage initiative, the Alta Wind Battery Energy Storage System, approved by the Bureau of Land Management in February 2024, features 150 MW capacity and 1,200 MWh storage on 25 acres adjacent to the Alta Wind Energy Center within the Tehachapi area.^[28] Developed by Clearway Energy Group, the project aims to dispatch stored wind and solar energy during peak demand, enhancing grid reliability and accommodating higher renewable penetration without specifying exact commissioning timelines as of late 2024.^[29] These efforts collectively address the spatial and temporal variability of Tehachapi's wind resources, which exhibit diurnal patterns with peak generation often misaligned with demand.^[53]

Economic Impacts

Local Revenue and Job Creation

The Tehachapi Pass wind farm complex, encompassing multiple projects in Kern County, California, generates local revenue primarily through property taxes, payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT agreements), and land lease payments to private landowners and public entities. In 2013, wind farms across Kern County—largely concentrated in the Tehachapi Pass area—contributed approximately $45 million annually to the local tax base, supporting county services such as schools, roads, and public safety.^[54] Specific projects like the Pacific Wind facility, located within the Tehachapi resource area, are projected to deliver over $324 million in total revenue to Kern County businesses, governments, and households over the project's lifespan.^[55] Landowners benefit from lease payments, as exemplified by the nearby Rising Tree Wind Farm, which disbursed more than $27.2 million to local property owners.^[45] These revenues stem from the assessed value of turbines, infrastructure, and transmission assets, though tax abatements or preferences in some cases have moderated the full potential contribution to the local tax base.^[56] Job creation associated with the wind farm has been substantial during construction phases but more modest in operations. The Alta Wind Energy Center, the largest component of the Tehachapi complex with over 1,500 MW capacity, generated more than 3,000 jobs in domestic manufacturing, construction, and maintenance during its development in the late 2000s and early 2010s.^[57] Individual phases, such as Alta Farms, created over 275 construction positions and sustain about 12 permanent operational roles focused on maintenance and monitoring.^[58] Across the broader Tehachapi area, encompassing roughly 3,200 MW from thousands of turbines, ongoing employment includes wind turbine technicians, site managers, and support staff, with active job postings indicating dozens of specialized positions available locally as of 2024.^[59] These operational jobs, typically numbering in the low hundreds for the entire complex, provide stable, skilled employment but represent a fraction of peak construction activity, reflecting the capital-intensive nature of wind infrastructure where automation and remote monitoring reduce long-term labor needs.

Broader Energy Market Contributions

The Tehachapi Wind Resource Area supplies approximately 3,200 megawatts of wind-generated electricity to California's wholesale energy market, representing a substantial share of the state's wind capacity and supporting utility-scale renewable procurement through power purchase agreements.^[60] This output integrates into the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) grid, where it aids compliance with the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard, mandating 60% renewable electricity by 2030, amid wind comprising 6% of California's total in-state generation as of 2024.^[61]^[3] The area's development has driven transmission expansions, notably the Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project, which facilitates delivery of up to 4,500 megawatts from local wind resources—equivalent to powering 3 million homes—enhancing grid access for remote generation and reducing curtailment risks in high-renewable scenarios.^[48] Initial phases alone boosted California's installed wind capacity by nearly 25% around 2010, demonstrating scalability for larger wind deployments and informing national trends in utility integration.^[3] To address wind's variability, pilot projects like the 8-megawatt Tehachapi Wind Energy Storage Project have tested lithium-ion batteries for output smoothing, frequency regulation, and ramp mitigation, providing data on storage's role in enabling firmer renewable bids within CAISO's energy and ancillary services markets.^[42] Modern turbines in the area achieve capacity factors exceeding 40%, outperforming the U.S. wind average and contributing to more predictable supply curves that utilities factor into long-term planning.^[34] These elements collectively position Tehachapi as a testbed for market mechanisms balancing intermittent resources with baseload demands, though full economic viability hinges on federal production tax credits and state incentives.^[62]

Environmental and Ecological Effects

Wildlife and Habitat Impacts

Monitoring conducted from October 1996 to May 1998 at the Tehachapi Pass Wind Resource Area documented 127 avian fatalities across 27 species, with 75 carcasses found during searches of turbine plots.^[63] Raptors accounted for 44 of these, including 14 red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), 13 great horned owls (Bubo virginianus), and 9 American kestrels (Falco sparverius), reflecting higher vulnerability among birds of prey due to foraging behavior in the ridge topography.^[63] Unadjusted estimates indicated an annual raptor fatality rate of 0.047 per turbine or 0.25 per megawatt, though these figures carry uncertainty from 90-day search intervals, scavenger removal, and detection biases.^[63] Bat fatalities were minimal in the same study, with only one long-eared myotis (Myotis evotis) recorded, suggesting lower risk compared to eastern U.S. wind facilities where bat mortality often exceeds avian losses.^[63] Collision risk indices were highest for raptors at 0.836, driven by low but targeted utilization rates of 0.03 birds per five-minute survey, concentrated on higher-elevation ridges like West Ridge where fatalities were most prevalent (91 total).^[63] Passerine species, such as western meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta) with six fatalities, showed lower risk indices around 0.021, aligning with overall bird use of 1.25 individuals per survey, peaking in spring migration.^[63] Habitat alterations from turbine construction include vegetation clearing for pads and access roads, primarily affecting sparse grasslands and shrublands in the area, with potential for soil erosion and fragmentation that displaces ground-nesting birds and small mammals.^[64] However, the ridge-top placement minimizes broad habitat loss, as the region supports low-density avian populations relative to valley floors, and studies indicate behavioral avoidance by some species up to 250-800 meters from turbines.^[65] Cumulative effects remain a concern for declining raptor populations, though Tehachapi's documented fatalities are lower than at Altamont Pass, where annual raptor deaths reach hundreds.^[66]^[63]

Land Use and Visual Alterations

The Tehachapi Pass wind farm, encompassing multiple projects within the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area, utilizes land primarily on ridgelines and open terrain suitable for wind capture, with turbine spacing allowing for dual land uses such as livestock grazing and native vegetation persistence between infrastructure. Direct land disturbance is minimal, as turbine foundations, access roads, and substations occupy a small fraction of the leased area—typically less than 1%—leaving the majority available for agriculture or habitat, consistent with wind energy's low spatial intensity of approximately 8 m² per MWh of annual output in high-density configurations like Tehachapi.^[67]^[45] Visual alterations from the wind farm are pronounced due to the scale and density of installations, with over 4,700 turbines transforming the natural contours of the Tehachapi Mountains into an engineered landscape dominated by rotating blades and towers visible across the 800-square-mile resource area.^[68] This shift, initiated in the late 1970s, has industrialized formerly rural skylines, particularly along key vistas from State Route 58 and nearby communities, where heterogeneous turbine designs and heights contribute to perceptual clutter.^[69] Repowering efforts, replacing older smaller turbines with taller, larger-capacity models, have intensified visual dominance by increasing structure heights—often exceeding 100 meters—and altering blade dynamics, potentially heightening landscape intrusion compared to legacy setups, as evidenced in assessments of aged wind infrastructure.^[70] Abandoned or decommissioned turbines from early phases add sporadic derelict elements, exacerbating aesthetic concerns amid ongoing operations, though systematic erosion claims near sites remain anecdotal without broad empirical substantiation.^[71] Specific projects like the Alta Wind Energy Center span roughly 19,000 acres, underscoring the expansive yet sparsely occupied footprint that amplifies visibility over vast distances.^[36]

Controversies and Criticisms

Reliability Challenges and Intermittency

The Tehachapi Pass wind farm's power output exhibits substantial variability inherent to wind resources, with generation fluctuating based on wind speed patterns that include diurnal cycles, seasonal shifts, and short-term ramps. In the Tehachapi area, wind production typically peaks at night during summer months, followed by significant morning ramp-downs as winds subside, creating predictable but still challenging mismatches with daytime electricity demand.^[53] Large intra-hour changes, such as output reductions exceeding 1,000 megawatts within 60 minutes, further complicate grid balancing and require rapid adjustments from dispatchable sources to maintain stability.^[72] Capacity factors in the Tehachapi wind resource area, which measure actual energy production relative to maximum possible output, typically range from 24% for older turbine models like the Vestas V27 to over 40% for modern installations, underscoring the farm's inability to deliver consistent baseload power comparable to fossil fuel or nuclear plants, which often exceed 80-90%.^[73]^[34] This intermittency necessitates overbuilding installed capacity—often by factors of 2-3 times peak demand—to achieve equivalent reliable supply, increasing capital costs and land requirements without eliminating the need for conventional backups during low-wind periods.^[74] Grid integration efforts highlight these reliability constraints, as variable wind output strains transmission infrastructure and forecasting accuracy. In Tehachapi, curtailments have occurred during high-wind events due to network limitations, while forecast errors amplify uncertainty, with studies indicating that short-term variability poses greater operational hurdles than long-term patterns.^[75]^[76] The Tehachapi Wind Energy Storage Project, incorporating lithium-ion batteries, was specifically designed to address these issues by smoothing generation fluctuations, shifting output to high-demand periods, and mitigating transient stability risks from sudden wind changes, demonstrating the dependence on supplementary technologies for viable intermittency management.^[42]^[51] Without such interventions, the farm's contributions to grid reliability remain limited, as wind's non-dispatchable nature precludes on-demand response, often requiring fossil fuel ramping that offsets some environmental benefits during periods of calm.^[53]

Decommissioning and Legacy Issues

The Tehachapi Pass wind farm, operational since the early 1980s, has seen significant decommissioning of its aging turbines, particularly first-generation models that reached the end of their 20- to 30-year design life. In 2020, 163 turbines were decommissioned within the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area 1, reflecting broader trends in removing obsolete infrastructure to facilitate repowering with modern, higher-capacity units.^[77] Repowering, rather than full site abandonment, has been the dominant approach, as evidenced by the disassembly of 200 FloWind Darrieus rotor turbines on Cameron Ridge, where older vertical-axis designs were replaced to improve efficiency and reduce maintenance burdens.^[32] This process often involves site-specific assessments, with decommissioning costs estimated at $100,000 to $200,000 per turbine for removal, including crane operations, transport, and partial foundation extraction, though full concrete pad removal is rarely mandated under California regulations.^[78] Legacy issues persist from incomplete or delayed decommissioning, including thousands of defunct turbines left in place due to economic unviability of early projects lacking long-term funding or performance guarantees. Estimates indicate up to 4,000 turbines in the Tehachapi area may be non-operational or abandoned, stemming from developer bankruptcies and insufficient decommissioning bonds, which have shifted restoration burdens to landowners.^[79] ^[80] For instance, at the former Airtricity site, landowners contracted private firms to dismantle residual Windmatic and Storm Master turbines and restore graded pads, highlighting gaps in regulatory enforcement where operators fail to fulfill end-of-life obligations.^[78] These remnants contribute to visual blight and potential safety hazards, with rusted structures exposed to harsh winds exacerbating structural decay. Environmental legacies include soil erosion from improper site preparation during the 1980s boom, where vegetation removal and compacted earth led to gullies during heavy rains following droughts, as observed in 1992 when runoff scoured unprepared landscapes.^[81] Restoration efforts post-decommissioning typically involve regrading, reseeding native grasses, and erosion control, but incomplete implementation has left scarred terrains that alter local hydrology and habitat recovery. Blade disposal poses ongoing challenges, as composite materials from legacy turbines are difficult to recycle, often resulting in landfilling despite emerging technologies; California's requirements for site return to pre-development conditions remain variably enforced, with total statewide restoration liabilities potentially exceeding $100 million.^[78] ^[70] These issues underscore the causal trade-offs of early wind deployment: initial low-cost installation without robust foresight on longevity, leading to taxpayer or landowner subsidies for cleanup in the absence of operator accountability.

Cost-Benefit Analyses and Subsidies

The Tehachapi Pass wind farm's economics have been substantially influenced by federal subsidies, foremost among them the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which offers a credit of approximately 2.3 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity generated in the first 10 years of a qualifying project's operation.^[82] With the facility's installed capacity exceeding 700 megawatts and annual generation surpassing 1.4 billion kilowatt-hours, PTC-eligible portions yield tens of millions in annual federal support during the credit period, effectively lowering the effective cost of wind-generated power to developers and investors.^[5] The PTC, extended multiple times since its inception in 1992, has been pivotal for wind projects nationwide, including expansions in Tehachapi, where it offsets intermittency-related revenue variability by guaranteeing income tied to output rather than market dispatch.^[83] Initial development in the 1980s leveraged the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), requiring utilities to buy power from qualifying facilities at the utilities' full avoided cost—often inflated above competitive market rates due to regulatory mandates and high oil prices at the time—enabling rapid deployment of early turbines despite their low efficiency and high per-unit costs.^[84] Subsequent phases incorporated the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) option, allowing a 30% upfront credit on capital expenditures in lieu of PTC for some projects, further reducing financial barriers.^[85] These incentives, totaling over 20 times the subsidy per unit of energy compared to conventional sources, have underpinned the farm's growth but also drawn scrutiny for distorting market signals, as unsubsidized wind power in variable-resource areas like Tehachapi often fails to compete with dispatchable alternatives on a full-cycle basis.^[83] Specific cost-benefit analyses for Tehachapi are limited in public domain, but project-level data indicate capital costs for major expansions, such as those by Terra-Gen in the Alta segments, involved financings exceeding $1 billion for capacities in the hundreds of megawatts, with levelized costs of energy (LCOE) for onshore wind generally ranging from $24 to $75 per megawatt-hour unsubsidized before accounting for integration expenses like transmission upgrades.^[86] The Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project, essential for evacuating output, incurred $1.8 billion for its first phase to support up to 4,500 megawatts regionally.^[3] Benefits accrue via power sales revenues and avoided fuel costs, yet analyses emphasizing system-level impacts—such as the need for backup generation and curtailment during low-wind periods—reveal net societal costs elevated by subsidies, with older turbines increasingly decommissioned as uneconomic absent ongoing support.^[84]^[71]

References

[1]
Tehachapi Wind Farm - The Center for Land Use Interpretation
The Tehachapi Wind Farm has around 4,731 turbines, producing 3,236 megawatts of electricity, enough for 350,000 people, and is the second largest in California.
[2]
List of the 3 largest wind farms in California [2023]
Jul 25, 2023 · 2) Tehachapi Pass wind farm. The Tehachapi Mountain Range has around 4,731 wind turbines. They generate about 3,160MW of electricity. A large- ...
[3]
Tehachapi: Planned for Prosperity | Wind Systems Magazine
Aug 5, 2010 · The first turbines erected in Tehachapi were about 45-60 feet in height, and they produced about 25-60 kilowatts. Today they stand about 400- ...
[4]
The World's Biggest Wind Farms - NES Fircroft
Nov 12, 2021 · It has an operational capacity of 1,550MW and is the largest wind farm in the US. Originally developed by Terra-Gen Power, an affiliate of ...
[5]
Exhibit 99.2 - SEC.gov
Tehachapi Pass generates over 705 megawatts of name plated capacity and produces over 1.4 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The Tehachapi mean- ...
[6]
[PDF] Tehachapi: planned for prosperiTy - Wind Systems Magazine
In fact, it's the first major trans- mission project in California being built specifically to ac- cess renewable generators in a remote, wind-rich resource.Missing: facts achievements controversies
[7]
Wind Wall 1 – Eolus
Wind Wall 1 is an onshore wind power project in Kern County, CA, with 13 turbines, 46.5 MW capacity, and 47 GWh annual production, replacing older turbines.
[8]
Something in the air: Tehachapi Pass makes ideal wind energy ...
Jul 28, 2024 · The series of wind farms known as the Tehachapi-Mojave Wind Resource Area consists of more than 5,000 turbines in a wide variety of sizes.
[9]
Tehachapi Mountains | Map, California, & Facts - Britannica
Oct 5, 2025 · Elevations in the Tehachapi Mountains average about 8,000 feet (2,400 metres). Tehachapi Pass, at about 4,000 feet (1,200 metres), stands ...
[10]
Geologic map of the southernmost Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi ...
Jul 21, 2008 · The main crystalline rocks of the study area are the rocks of the Bear Valley Springs intrusive suite and the gneiss complex of the Tehachapi ...Missing: topography | Show results with:topography
[11]
Visitor Guide: Wind development: Why Tehachapi Pass?
May 17, 2019 · The venturi effect of the mountain pass accelerates the wind to a high velocity, providing an attractive concentration of wind power resource.
[12]
Improving Forecasts of Wind Power in the Tehachapi Pass Using ...
The east-west orientation of the Tehachapi Pass helps to maintain a strong wind resource at TWRA, but the relief fosters strong mountain and valley breezes ...Missing: elevation dynamics patterns causes
[13]
Where wind power is harnessed - U.S. Energy Information ... - EIA
As of December 2023, wind project developers reported plans for about 5,251 MW of nameplate wind electricity generation capacity in waters off the coasts of ...
[14]
Why Tehachapi Pass? / Pioneers of the Wind / Hike a Mile or Two ...
Winds are caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth's surface, and rotation of the Earth., Second Panel: , ...
[15]
From Zond to Enron Wind to GE Wind: Founder Interview ...
May 4, 2016 · This post reproduces an interview with Jim Dehlsen, the founder of Zond Energy Systems, which was acquired by Enron and sold out of bankruptcy ...Missing: James | Show results with:James
[16]
About Oak Creek Energy
Oak Creek Energy was the project site for some of the very first Danish wind turbines brought into the United States, such as Micon, Bonus, Vestas, ...
[17]
[PDF] WIND ENERGY -DEVELOPMENT IN CALIFORNIA
Apr 18, 1985 · In 1982, SCE began operation of a 120 foot, vertical axis, 50 kW Darrieus unit and added a 500 kW vertical axis turbine and a 100 kW horizontal ...Missing: first | Show results with:first
[18]
Transpower—the Flying Clothesline from the Early 1980s
Nov 8, 2023 · Transpower's "Flying Clothesline" used vertical cloth sails on a cable-suspended track, with two blades tied to a rope, to harness wind energy.
[19]
[PDF] Oak Creek Energy
Nov 21, 2011 · Tehachapi Pass has been providing wind-based energy to Southern California Edison. (SCE) since the 1980s and continues to grow to this day.Missing: history | Show results with:history
[20]
The Great Wind Rush of 99 - Wind-Works.org
Dec 31, 1998 · The largest project is FPL Energy's repowering of the former FloWind site in the Tehachapi Pass. FPL cleared Cameron Ridge of FloWind's ...
[21]
Self-Guided Tour to the Wind Farms of the Tehachapi Pass
May 31, 1998 · The crest of the Transverse Range, including Tehachapi and Bear Mountains, is at an elevation of about 8,000 feet. Westerly winds from the San ...Missing: topography | Show results with:topography
[22]
III. The Tehachapi Wind Resource Area - CA.gov
The record indicates that just over 645 MW of wind generation is currently operational in the Tehachapi area, with about 345 MW connected to SCE's Antelope- ...Missing: timeline 1990-2010
[23]
Alta Wind Energy Center (AWEC), California - Power Technology
Jul 15, 2014 · Construction of units VI and VIII began in early 2011 and was completed in late 2011, and building of the units VII and IX started in April 2012 ...Missing: timeline | Show results with:timeline
[24]
Wind farm Wind Wall 1 successfully completed and delivered ... - Eolus
May 18, 2021 · Hässleholm, Sweden, May 18th, 2021. Eolus has completed the construction of the repower of wind farm Wind Wall 1 located near Tehachapi, ...
[25]
Cubico Sustainable Investments' first US wind project becomes ...
Jul 22, 2021 · The 46.5 MW Wind Wall 1 project, which is supported by a power purchase agreement with Amazon, is located in the Tehachapi region of California.Missing: date | Show results with:date
[26]
Tehachapi Energy Storage - Terra-Gen
It reached commercial operations in 2020 with a capacity of 77 megawatts. The Tehachapi Energy Storage Facility is a short-duration energy storage facility that ...
[27]
Energy Storage - Terra-Gen
Terra-Gen owns and operates 7 battery energy storage projects throughout California, enough to power 1.4 million homes for approximately 4 hours.
[28]
BLM approves Alta Wind Battery Energy Storage project in California
The Bureau of Land Management today approved the Alta Wind Battery Energy Storage System right-of-way in Kern County.Missing: 2020s | Show results with:2020s
[29]
BLM approves Clearway's 150MW BESS at California wind project
Mar 5, 2024 · BLM has approved the Alta Wind Battery Energy Storage System project ... An expected commercial operation date (COD) has not been revealed.
[30]
BLM approves 1200 MWh Alta Wind BESS project
Mar 10, 2024 · BLM approves 1,200 MWh Alta Wind BESS project. March 10, 2024 ... The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has approved a battery energy storage ...<|separator|>
[31]
Tehachapi Windplant II wind farm - Global Energy Monitor - GEM.wiki
Table 1: Phase-level project details for Tehachapi Windplant II wind farm ; 1, Operating · 1997 · 22 MW · Onshore ; RP, Announced · 2025 (planned) · 15.5 MW · Onshore ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[32]
Graveyards of the windy West - Windpower Monthly
Most of these turbines date from the early 1980s. Much of the planned ... On Cameron Ridge in Tehachapi Pass, 200 of the old FloWind Darrieus rotor turbines have ...Missing: first | Show results with:first
[33]
Evolution of wind turbine
Feb 17, 2017 · While commercial wind turbines of 30 Kilowatts (KW) output were turning at Tehachapi Pass in California in 1981, NASA and the U.S. ...
[34]
Another Wind Farm for Tehachapi Pass - Renewable Energy World
Oct 28, 2009 · Tehachapi Pass generates over 705 MW of nameplate capacity, the maximum rated output the turbines could produce according to the turbine ...Missing: operator | Show results with:operator
[35]
Fast Facts about California Wind Energy | CalWEA
Wind energy projects totaling at least 5,787 megawatts (MW) of capacity are operating in California today,1 providing enough electricity to power about 2.3 ...
[36]
Largest Wind Farms in the U.S. - LandApp
Oct 16, 2024 · With a combined installed capacity of approximately 1,550 MW from 600 turbines, the wind farm's power is sold to Southern California Edison ...
[37]
What is the largest wind farm in the US? - Facebook
currently the ...Missing: 2020s | Show results with:2020s<|separator|>
[38]
[PDF] California Wind and Solar Generation During 2017 and 2018
The Tehachapi Wind Resource Area accounted for 54 percent of the net wind generation in 2018, followed by the Solano and San Gorgonio areas. Solar ...
[39]
[PDF] Wind Energy - Science & Global Security
mont Pass, the capacity factor for wind farms in this area is 0.24. The capacity factor for San. Gorgonio Pass is 0.24 and for Tehachapi Pass is 0.19.3.
[40]
Alta Wind Energy Center
Sep 25, 2022 · The eleven phases of the farm used Vestas turbines, delivering an average capacity factor of 23% from its 2014 to 2019 operations. The wind farm ...Significance of the Alta Wind... · Wind Project Development...
[41]
Trends in performance factors of wind energy facilities
Sep 23, 2020 · All the Alta Wind facilities have then been performing below the 33.33% average annual mean capacity factor for 2018 of the 100 facilities ...
[42]
[PDF] Tehachapi Wind Energy Storage Project
The takeaways are that site selection for future installations should take access to large or critical components into consideration and to the extent ...Missing: rationale | Show results with:rationale
[43]
Wind Energy - Terra-Gen
In total, these wind projects produce enough to power 350,000 homes per year. Tehachapi Projects. Oasis Power Partners. Capacity: 60.3 MW COD: 2021. Point Wind ...Missing: Pass 2020s
[44]
Alta Wind Energy Center V | Wind Farm in Mojave, CA - GridInfo
Alta Wind Energy Center V Plant Owners. Owner Name, Address, Ownership. NRG Renew, 4900 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, 100.00%. Power Plants with ...
[45]
Rising Tree Wind Farm | edp
Rising Tree Wind Farm has a 198 MW capacity, located in Kern County, and has a $68.6+ million total project impact, with 98% of land available for other uses.
[46]
History - Oak Creek Energy
2010. ALTA Wind Energy Center, developed by Oak Creek Energy was sold with one of the largest PPAs ever signed (1,550 MW) and 3,000 MW of transmission rights ...
[47]
WECAT LLC
The WECAT is a consortium of 24 wind energy companies located in the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area (TWRA) in southern California.
[48]
[PDF] The Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project - SCE
The Tehachapi project delivers 4,500 MW of wind energy, accessing multiple renewable generators, and is the first major project for this purpose in California.
[49]
Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project FAQs - SCE
Almost all high-voltage electric transmission lines are proposed as overhead for three general reasons: cost, repair time, and environmental considerations.
[50]
[PDF] Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project - SCE
TRTP will provide enough power for approximately three million homes. it will also help meet California's ambitious goal of receiving 33% of electricity from ...
[51]
[PDF] Tehachapi Wind Energy Storage Project - OSTI
Wind generation data was normalized and summarized for the same periods. The resulting metric is referred to as a capacity factor. Detailed analyses are ...
[52]
Saying Goodbye to Tehachapi's Groundbreaking Clean Energy ...
Nov 7, 2022 · On a windswept patch of the Mojave Desert, the Tehachapi Energy Storage Project achieved many firsts for Southern California Edison.Missing: Terra- 2020
[53]
[PDF] California ISO DRAFT Integration of Renewable Resources Report
During the summer months, the Tehachapi area has a repeating pattern of maximum wind generation at night, a ramp down of energy production during the morning ...
[54]
Wind farms generate more than electricity for Kern - Tehachapi News
Sep 24, 2013 · Still, the county's wind farms will pump approximately $45 million into the local tax stream this year. The county also collects ...Missing: Pass | Show results with:Pass
[55]
Pacific Wind - EDF power solutions North America
Located in the heart of Kern County's Antelope Valley, the Pacific Wind Project encompasses approximately 8,500 acres of leased land. Less than 2 percent of the ...
[56]
[PDF] Property taxation of commercial wind farms and facilities
Nov 1, 2019 · the Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm, which is where the boom in wind ... Property tax preferences given to wind facilities reduce the local tax base from ...
[57]
World's Largest Wind Project is Underway - Renewable Energy World
Jul 29, 2010 · The project, which is being developed near the first large-scale wind farms installed in the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s, is a powerful ...Missing: early developers
[58]
Alta Farms Wind Farm, USA | Enel Green Power
Alta Farms Wind Farm aims to have a positive, long-term impact on the local economy. It created over 275 new jobs during construction and will employ 12 ...Missing: benefits | Show results with:benefits
[59]
Wind Turbine Technician Jobs, Employment in Tehachapi, CA | Indeed
14 Wind Turbine Technician jobs available in Tehachapi, CA on Indeed.com. Apply to Wind Turbine Technician, Mechanic, Site Manager and more!Missing: local | Show results with:local
[60]
How a massive Amazon wind farm will change a rural town in America
Oct 12, 2019 · The Tehachapi Mountain Range is home to around 4,731 wind turbines that generate about 3,200 megawatts of energy. Buried in the mountains of ...
[61]
California - State Energy Profile Analysis - EIA
In 2024, wind accounted for 6% of California's total in-state electricity generation, and the state ranked tenth in the nation in wind-powered generation.
[62]
[PDF] Tehachapi Wind Energy Storage Project (October 2012)
This project will be sited at the Tehachapi. Wind Resource Area, one of the largest wind resource areas in the world, where as much as 4,500 MW of wind ...
[63]
[PDF] Avian Monitoring and Risk Assessment at the Tehachapi Pass Wind ...
Sep 1, 2004 · Data collected during each carcass search included a unique carcass number, site, date, observer, species, sex, and age when possible, time, ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[64]
[PDF] Impacts of Wind Energy Facilities on Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat
As turbine size increases and development expands into new areas with higher densities of birds, risk to birds could increase. Bat fatalities have been recorded ...
[65]
[PDF] Avian mortality in Altamont Pass WRA - final report
Studies have shown disturbance to birds as far as 250 m to 800 m from the wind turbines. (Peterson and Nohr 1989; Pedersen and Poulsen 1991; Vauk 1990; ...<|separator|>
[66]
[PDF] A Roadmap for PIER Research on Avian Collisions with Wind ...
California benefit from reduced impacts on birds and bats from wind turbines in the State, and to facilitate the development of environmentally responsible wind ...<|separator|>
[67]
https://ourworldindata.org/land-use-per-energy-source
[68]
Not A Lot of Hot Air - A look at wind energy - Porterville Recorder
Nov 3, 2023 · Tehachapi was chosen as a site for wind energy production because it's thought to be one of the windiest places in the world. The winds through ...
[69]
Tehachapi Wind Resource Area - Wikipedia
The Tehachapi Wind Resource Area (TWRA) is a large wind resource area along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains in California.Missing: geology | Show results with:geology
[70]
[PDF] Reducing Visual Impacts of Renewable Energy Facilities
Multiple wind turbine models in close proximity add to the visual clutter in this view. (Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm, Kern County,. California. Credit: David ...
[71]
Long-term visual impacts of aging infrastructure - ScienceDirect.com
Repowering done for large areas, over a relatively short timeframe, reduces the densely built-up industrial image of the wind farm, and allows for minimizing ...Missing: upgrades | Show results with:upgrades
[72]
Demand for hold on wind funding - Windpower Monthly
Abandoned wind turbines, some of which have not operated for years, as well as claims of land erosion near wind farms in the Tehachapi Pass, are new obstacles ...Missing: ownership | Show results with:ownership
[73]
[PDF] Final Project Report, Improving Short-Term Wind Power Forecasting ...
The total wind power generation capacity is more than 3,000 megawatts (MW). ... capacity encompassing Tehachapi Pass and adjacent regions of the Mojave.Missing: farm | Show results with:farm<|separator|>
[74]
CAPACITY FACTOR OF 25% - Windpower Monthly
Jan 1, 1995 · Ninety-eight Vestas V27 turbines in the Tehachapi area of California had a capacity factor of 25% and 24% in the years they were studied ...
[75]
[PDF] Wind Power Intermittency Overview - PowerWorld
Intermittency Analysis. – Integrate the contingency overloads over time to study the impact of wind intermittency on system reliability.
[76]
[PDF] Short-Term Output Variations in Wind Farms - Publications
Curtailments in Tehachapi, California, occurred during high winds, but many of these were primarily caused by transmission network weaknesses that have been ...
[77]
Variability and uncertainty of wind power in the California electric ...
Jun 13, 2013 · The data in this case study showed that wind power's uncertainty with forecast errors presents a more challenging grid integration issue than ...<|separator|>
[78]
The decommissioning of wind turbines in the United States
Oct 21, 2024 · Similarly, 163 wind turbines were decommissioned in the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area 1 in 2020. Located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada ...Missing: Pass | Show results with:Pass
[79]
[PDF] Removal and Restoration Costs in California: Who Will Pay?
At the old Airtricity site in Tehachapi, landowners have had to hire a contractor to remove the remaining Windmatics and Storm Masters and to restore the site ...
[80]
Abandoned Dreams of Wind and Light - Atlas Obscura
sites of a 1970s-1980s wind energy rush gone wrong. Federal subsidies sparked ...
[81]
Abandoning renewable energy projects in Europe and South America
These concerns were, in fact, well justified since up to 4500 turbines have been abandoned in the Tehachapi Pass region of California, USA, because of a lack of ...
[82]
Erosion Gullies in the Tehachapi Pass: An Example of Improper ...
Dec 31, 1995 · “In the spring of 1992, Tehachapi-area wind plants were ill-prepared for a deluge. After seven years of drought, runoff absorbing vegetation was ...
[83]
[PDF] Guidelines for the Assessment of Wind Energy Properties
Jun 27, 2017 · In 2013, the PTC provided owners of wind projects 2.3 cents of credit for every kilowatt hour of electricity produced.Missing: Tehachapi | Show results with:Tehachapi<|separator|>
[84]
[PDF] THE UNSEEN COSTS OF WIND-GENERATED ELECTRICITY
By paying for the PTC with their taxes, American citizens subsidize private investments in wind energy development. Wind and solar energy both receive 20 times ...
[85]
[PDF] A High Cost Subsidy for Low Value Power - Continental Economics
Oct 16, 2012 · In the Altamont Pass region of northern California (pictured on the cover), and in Tehachapi Pass (Figure 1), wind developers took advantage of.
[86]
[PDF] Community Wind: Once Again Pushing the Envelope of Project ...
The ITC and Section 1603 grant also reduce performance risk relative to the PTC, and (unlike the PTC) neither the ITC nor the grant is penalized for the use of ...
[87]
Top Ten Largest Wind Farms in the United States | Certrec
Dec 19, 2022 · It has a 705 megawatts capacity (950,000 hp), and due to the wind farm's age, the farm has significantly more wind turbines than modern farms.