San Gorgonio Pass wind farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids San Gorgonio Pass wind farm |
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| Country | United States |
| Location | Riverside County, California |
| Coordinates | 33°54′N 116°35′W / 33.900°N 116.583°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1980s |
The San Gorgonio Pass wind farm is a huge collection of wind turbines. These turbines stretch across the eastern part of the San Gorgonio Pass in Riverside County, California. You can find them near Cabazon and all the way to North Palm Springs.
This area is special because it's super windy! It sits between big mountains: Mount San Gorgonio to the north and Mount San Jacinto to the south. This creates a natural wind tunnel. The pass connects a Mediterranean climate (like sunny beaches) to a Desert climate (like hot, dry deserts). This unique spot makes it one of the windiest places in the United States.
Building this wind farm started in the 1980s. It's one of three main wind farms in California. The others are located at Altamont and Tehachapi.
How the Wind Farm Works
As of June 2023, the San Gorgonio Pass wind farm has 802 wind turbines. Together, they can produce 647 MW of electricity. This power comes from 27 different projects working together.
In late 2021, there were even more turbines, over 1,220! Some of the older, smaller turbines have been replaced with newer, bigger ones. A large power line from Southern California Edison crosses the pass. This line helps send electricity from the wind farm to places like the Los Angeles area.
A Look at Wind Power History
The idea of making electricity from wind in the San Gorgonio Pass started a long time ago. In 1926, a person named Drew R. Oliver and an electrician, W. Sperry Knighton, built an early wind turbine. They used parts from an old roller coaster to create their first machine!
This early device had aluminum propellers and a large funnel to catch the wind. It could even turn to face the wind. The strong winds were so powerful they sometimes damaged the machine. Oliver tried to get more money to build more wind turbines. He dreamed of powering all of nearby Palm Springs.
However, Oliver faced legal issues because of new laws about selling company shares. His plans to expand the wind power project stopped. The wind device he built became a local landmark until it was taken down in 1942.
In 1980, Southern California Edison opened its own Wind Energy Center. They tested two wind turbines there. One was a large turbine with three 82.5-foot blades. The other was a smaller, vertical turbine. Sadly, the smaller one broke just two weeks after it was installed.
In 1982, officials studied the San Gorgonio Pass area for wind energy. They looked at different ways to develop wind power there. Since then, many wind turbines have been added to the landscape. These turbines range from 80 feet (24 m) to 300 feet (91 m) tall.
There are plans to make the wind farm even better. A proposal from 2008 suggested replacing many old turbines with fewer, more powerful new ones. For example, 460 old turbines could be replaced with 30 new, taller turbines. Each new turbine would be about 330 feet tall and produce more power.
More Information
- In 1998, a TV show called California's Gold featured the wind farms. It showed how important they are to California. Another episode about the wind farms was made in 2010.
