Wind power in California explained

Wind power in California had initiative and early development during Governor Jerry Brown's first two terms in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[1] [2] The state's wind power capacity has grown by nearly 350% since 2001, when it was less than 1,700 MW.[3] [4] In 2016, wind energy (including that supplied by other states) supplied about 6.9% of California's total electricity needs, or enough to power more than 1.3 million households.[5] Most of California's wind generation is found in the Tehachapi area of Kern County, California, with some large projects in Solano, Contra Costa and Riverside counties as well. California is among the states with the largest amount of installed wind power capacity. In recent years, California has lagged behind other states when it comes to the installation of wind power. It was ranked 4th overall for wind power electrical generation at the end of 2016 behind Texas, Iowa, and Oklahoma. As of 2019, California had 5,973 megawatts (MW) of wind power generating capacity installed.

History

California was the first U.S. state where large wind farms were developed, beginning in the early 1980s.[6] By 1995, California produced 30 percent of the entire world's wind-generated electricity.[7] Wind power in Texas surpassed the production in California to become the leader in the United States.

Historically, most of California's wind power output has been in three primary regions: Altamont Pass wind farm (east of San Francisco); Tehachapi Pass wind farm (south east of Bakersfield) and San Gorgonio Pass wind farm (near Palm Springs, east of Los Angeles).[7] A fourth area, the Montezuma Hills of Solano County, was developed in 2005–2009, with the large Shiloh wind power plant.

The Alta Wind Energy Center is a wind farm located in Tehachapi Pass in Kern County.[8] Kern County is reviewing a number of other proposed wind projects that would generate a combined 4,600 megawatts of renewable energy if approved.[9]

Large wind farms in California
Name Location Capacity (MW) Status
576 Operational [10]
1548 Operational [11]
315 Operational [12]
615 Operational
505 Operational [13]
705 Operational
131.1 Operational

Growth

California wind generation capacity by year California wind generation by year
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PlotData= color:coral width:20 bar:1999 from:start till:1616 text:1,616 bar:2000 from:start till:1616 text:1,616 bar:2001 from:start till:1683.1 text:1,683.1 bar:2002 from:start till:1823.1 text:1,823.1 bar:2003 from:start till:2024.9 text:2,024.9 bar:2004 from:start till:2095 text:2,095 bar:2005 from:start till:2149.5 text:2,149.5 bar:2006 from:start till:2376.1 text:2,376.1 bar:2007 from:start till:2439.1 text:2,439.1 bar:2008 from:start till:2536.7 text:2,536.7 bar:2009 from:start till:2798 text:2,798 bar:2010 from:start till:3252.6 text:3,252.6 bar:2011 from:start till:3917 text:3,917 bar:2012 from:start till:5542 text:5,542 bar:2013 from:start till:5830 text:5,830 bar:2014 from:start till:5917 text:5,917 bar:2015 from:start till:6108 text:6,108 bar:2016 from:start till:5662 text:5,662 bar:2017 from:start till:5609 text:5,609 bar:2018 from:start till:5885 text:5,885 bar:2019 from:start till:5973 text:5,973 bar:2020 from:start till:5922 text:5,922 bar:2021 from:start till:6142 text:6,142

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PlotData= color:lightorange width:20 bar:2001 from:start till:3499 text:3,499 bar:2002 from:start till:3800 text:3,800 bar:2003 from:start till:3896 text:3,896 bar:2004 from:start till:4305 text:4,305 bar:2005 from:start till:4261 text:4,261 bar:2006 from:start till:4883 text:4,883 bar:2007 from:start till:5586 text:5,586 bar:2008 from:start till:5385 text:5,385 bar:2009 from:start till:5840 text:5,840 bar:2010 from:start till:6080 text:6,080 bar:2011 from:start till:7749 text:7,749 bar:2012 from:start till:9754 text:9,754 bar:2013 from:start till:12820 text:12,820 bar:2014 from:start till:12993 text:12,993 bar:2015 from:start till:12229 text:12,229 bar:2016 from:start till:13508 text:13,508 bar:2017 from:start till:12824 text:12,824 bar:2018 from:start till:14025 text:14,025 bar:2019 from:start till:13736 text:13,736 bar:2020 from:start till:13582 text:13,582 bar:2021 from:start till:15628 text:15,628 bar:2022 from:start till:16018 text:16,018

Megawatts of wind capacity,
1999-2020[14] [15] 		Gigawatt-hours generated per year,
2001-2020[16]
In 2011, 921.3 megawatts of new production was installed. Most of that activity occurred in the Tehachapi area of Kern County, with some big projects in Solano, Contra Costa and Riverside counties as well.[17] [18] [19]

California had a total of 5,662 megawatts of installed wind generation capacity at the end of 2015.[20] After leading the country for many years, California ranked fourth nationwide in terms of capacity, behind Texas, Iowa, and Oklahoma in 2016.[21] [22] In 2016, California used about 285,700 GWh[23] and generated 13,500 GWh of wind energy in state.[24]

Wind energy supplied about 6.9% of California's total electricity needs in 2017 (including power supplied from other states in this case), and 7.35% in 2019. By the end of 2019, installed wind generation capacity increased to 5,973 megawatts.[25]

Due to higher average winds in the plains area of the U.S., California ranked fifth in wind generation in 2018.[26]

In January 2018, the Tule Wind Project came online. Located in eastern San Diego County, the facility has 57 wind turbines which collectively generate 131.1 megawatts of electricity. There are plans to expand this project by an additional 24 turbines in the future.[27] In its current configuration, the installation is able to power an estimated 40,000 homes.[28] CAISO tested the wind farm's synchronverter in 2018, and found it could perform some of the grid services similar or better than traditional generators.[29] [30]

In February 2018, Scout Clean Energy of Colorado won the rights to modernize the Gonzaga Ridge wind farm which is located in Pacheco State Park. Rated at 16.5 megawatts, the Gonzaga Ridge facility currently uses 1980s era wind turbines which are smaller, less cost-effective, and overall far less efficient at generating energy than those which currently being produced. The electrical output of Gonzaga Ridge after modernization is projected to be between 65 MW and 80 MW.[31]

Offshore wind

A 2009 Stanford University study of California offshore wind potential identified a site off Cape Mendocino that could provide uninterrupted year-round power from a 1500 MW wind farm that would produce an average of 790 MW. Three types of offshore wind power were studied, with the conclusion that from 12,300 to 19,700 GWh/yr could be delivered from 1,997 to 3,331 MW of monopile wind turbines installed in up to 20meter, from 38,200 to 73,000 GWh/yr could be delivered from 6,202 to 12,374 MW of multi-leg wind turbines in 20to, and from 462,100 to 568,200 GWh/yr from 73,025 to 91,707 MW of floating turbine foundation wind turbines in from 50to,[32] such as those being studied for use off the coast of Maine by the Ocean Energy Institute and the DeepCwind Consortium.[33]

In April 2018, several power development companies joined with Redwood Coast Energy Authority to explore the idea of creating a large-scale wind farm off of the Northern California coast. Deep water has hindered development off the coast of California, making the use floating turbines more feasible than fixed turbines. The group decided to propose instead. RCEA and the development companies intended to file a lease with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the summer of 2018 for the 120-150 MW project.[34] The Humboldt Project will be located just over west of Eureka, California and estimates have the date of completion to be sometime in 2024.[35] In 2022, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a statement of no significant environmental impact,[36] and California set a target of 25 GW of offshore wind by 2045.[37]

Annual generation

California wind generation (GWh)
YearTotalJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
20013,499 133 148 300 393 378 438 440 408 293 253 143 172
20023,800 131 153 267 409 478 557 443 476 295 284 158 149
20033,896 109 193 326 424 453 549 432 396 340 285 188 201
20044,305 130 201 288 399 634 683 588 492 359 259 155 117
20054,261 175 150 334 429 551 584 497 384 404 322 217 214
20064,883 281 215 389 430 577 596 538 500 402 396 292 267
20075,586 233 307 442 612 732 729 675 600 486 349 188 233
20085,385 271 262 450 538 691 658 700 648 406 298 223 240
20095,840 150 245 442 603 701 850 879 679 480 406 235 170
20106,080 150 221 399 546 689 867 925 731 551 372 305 324
20117,749 234 429 612 960 1,026 1,021 869 908 522 415 428 325
20129,754 419 581 769 768 1,316 1,362 1,001 1,001 697 776 385 679
201312,820 482 727 1,056 1,550 1,740 1,631 1,413 1,297 1,158 750 556 460
201412,993 500 831 1,055 1,306 1,766 1,858 1,408 1,286 953 759 705 566
201512,229 187 619 826 1,262 1,681 1,668 1,445 1,523 815 667 619 917
201613,508 691 528 1,305 1,325 1,596 1,670 1,697 1,472 996 935 528 765
201712,824 815 751 954 1,212 1,644 1,638 1,417 1,642 1,217 839 452 243
201814,025 424 887 1,060 1,234 1,929 1,784 1,565 1,645 1,259 1,029 639 570
201913,736 537 1,054 1,091 1,475 1,838 1,564 1,674 1,469 1,210 877 467 480
202013,582 763 780 1,131 1,521 1,553 1,722 1,691 1,440 797 868 664 652
202115,628 1,065 1,041 1,590 1,645 1,676 1,336 1,093 1,331 1,011 1,268 1,187 1,385
202216,018 1,187 1,204 1,551 1,746 1,864 1,503 1,473 1,105 888 1,006 1,284 1,207
20234,223 1,381 1,305 1,537
Source:
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See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: U.S. wind energy grows in California, then stagnates nationwide in the 1980s. American Wind Energy Association. 2018-04-09.
  2. Web site: Don't let wind energy stall. Hochschild. David. March 21, 2017. Sacramento Bee. 2018-04-08.
  3. Web site: WINDExchange: Installed Wind Capacity. 2016-02-17. energy.gov. U.S. Department of Energy. 2017-01-24.
  4. Web site: AWEA 4th quarter 2012 Public Market Report. January 2013. American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). January 30, 2013. May 18, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130518072413/http://www.awea.org/learnabout/publications/reports/upload/AWEA-Fourth-Quarter-Wind-Energy-Industry-Market-Report_Executive-Summary.pdf. dead.
  5. Web site: California Wind Energy. U.S. Wind Energy State Facts. American Wind Energy Association. 27 December 2017.
  6. Web site: Wind Energy in California. American Wind Energy Association. 1 May 2018.
  7. Web site: Overview of Wind Energy in California. California Energy Commission. https://web.archive.org/web/20170118102209/http://www.energy.ca.gov/wind/overview.html. 2017-01-18.
  8. Web site: World's Largest Wind Project is Underway. RenewableEnergyWorld.com. 2018-04-14. July 29, 2010.
  9. Web site: California's largest wind power projects has been approved by Kern County. REVE. 2018-04-14. December 17, 2009.
  10. Web site: U.S. Wind Energy Projects – California . . July 2010 . July 28, 2010.
  11. Web site: Alta Wind Energy Center is the nation's largest wind facility.. CA.gov. 10 April 2018.
  12. Web site: Ocotillo Express Wind Energy Project . U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management . September 10, 2012 . January 6, 2013.
  13. Web site: Shiloh I Wind. EDF Renewable Energy. 10 April 2018.
  14. https://windexchange.energy.gov/maps-data/321 WINDExchange: U.S. Installed and Potential Wind Capacity and Generation
  15. Web site: Market Report 2021 . American Clean Power Association. May 17, 2022 . May 22, 2022.
  16. Web site: Electricity Data Browser. U.S. Department of Energy. March 28, 2018. August 14, 2021.
  17. Web site: Five Percent of California's Energy Supply Now Comes From Wind. California Wind Energy Assn. February 2, 2012.
  18. News: Dickerson. Marla. Wind power blowing up in California. 2018-04-14. Los Angeles Times. 31 January 2012.
  19. 2012 Third Quarter Market Report, American Wind Energy Association
  20. Web site: AWEA Fourth Quarter 2016 Market Report Public Version. American Wind Energy Association. March 9, 2017.
  21. Web site: Wind Energy Facilities Installed Capacity Ranked by State/Territory. 2016. Official Nebraska Government Website. 2018-04-09.
  22. News: California is falling behind in producing wind power. Osborn-Mills. Danielle. May 22, 2017. Sacramento Bee. 2018-04-09.
  23. Web site: Electricity Consumption by County. California Energy Commission.
  24. Web site: Total System Electric Generation. California Energy Commission.
  25. Web site: Wind Energy in California. WINDExchange. May 6, 2020.
  26. Web site: EIA - Electricity Data. www.eia.gov. en . 2018-05-01.
  27. News: Nikolewski. Rob . Tule Wind Farm now producing electricity. 7 February 2018. San Diego Union Tribune. January 25, 2018.
  28. News: Gibbins. John . East county wind farm going strong. 7 February 2018. San Diego Union Tribune. 2018.
  29. Web site: Balaraman . Kavya . Wind plants can provide grid services similar to gas, hydro, easing renewables integration: CAISO . Utility Dive . 13 March 2020 .
  30. http://www.caiso.com/Documents/WindPowerPlantTestResults.pdf Tuel Wind Power Plant Test Results
  31. Web site: Quinbrook to repower California wind farm. Froese. Michelle . February 5, 2018. Windpower Engineering and Development.
  32. http://www.stanford.edu/~dvorak/papers/dvorak-archer-jacobson-2010-california-offshore-wind-energy-potential.pdf California offshore wind energy potential
  33. Web site: Ocean Energy Institute . 2008 . 2008-12-15 .
  34. News: Group pursuing floating wind farm off California coast. Reuters Editorial. U.S.. 2018-04-04. en-US.
  35. Web site: California Chooses Floating Offshore Wind Technology. The Marine Executive. 6 April 2018.
  36. Web site: BOEM completes California offshore environmental study . reNEWS - Renewable Energy News . 6 May 2022.
  37. Web site: Buljan . Adrijana . California Adopts 2045 Offshore Wind Target, Plans Installing 25 GW by That Time . Offshore Wind . 11 August 2022.

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