Windfarms
Wind energy:
Wind energy is used as a source of eclectic power in over 50 countries worldwide. According to the Global Wind Energy Council, the total installed capacity of all wind farms around the world was over 94,123 MW at the end of 2007. Distribution of installed wind energy capacity worldwide in 2007 was as followed:
The biggest windfarms in the world:
Horse Hollow wind energy centre is the world's largest wind farm at 735.5 megawatt (MW) capacity. It consists of 291 GE Energy 1.5 MW wind turbines and 130 Siemens 2.3 MW wind turbines spread over nearly 47,000 acres (190 km²) of land in Taylor and Nolan County, Texas. The largest windfarm currently in operation in Europe is the Maranchon windfarm located in Maranchón, Guadalajara, Spain. The "Maranchon Complex", as it is called, actually consists of seven smaller wind parks with a total capacity of 208 MW. It is owned by Iberdrola and was dedicated in May 2006. The Dabancheng wind power generation project, near Urumqi City in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is the largest wind power plant in Asia. By the end of July 2005, the facility's total wind power capacity had reached 125, 000 kilowatts. The project is 10km long, and 2.7km wide, with more then 500 windmills in this area:
Windfarms in California USA:
In the USA there are windfarms with a large concentration of windmills which can't be seen anywhere else in the world. The largest of these are in the state of California. The San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm for example. The pass where this windfarm is situated is one of the windiest places in Southern California, and it is one of three major wind farms in California, along with the Altamont Pass Wind Farm and the Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm. As of january 2008 the farm consists of 3218 units delivering 615 MW. A single Southern California Edison Path 46 500 kV power line crosses the pass on the northern edge San Jacinto Peak. This power line links the Los Angeles metro area with the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant:
The Tehachapi pass windfarm have been in place since the early 1980s and have been upgraded through the years. The original wind turbines were much smaller than the much taller and larger new version turbines now sited for use. They are easily seen from State Route 58 and from Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road. In a recent move, Southern California Edison plans to secure 1,500 megawatts (MW) or more of power generated from new projects to be built in the Tehachapi area:
The Altamont pass windfarm is one of the earliest windfarms in the United States, located in the Altamont Pass. The wind farm is composed of over 4900 relatively small wind turbines of various types, making it at one time the largest farm in the world in terms of capacity. Altamont Pass is still the largest concentration of wind turbines in the world, with a capacity of 576 megawatts (MW), producing about 125 MW on average and 1.1 terawatt-hours (TWh) yearly:
