Special Features
Wind Energy - a renewable resource
Wind turbines in the Palm Springs area.
Across the country, and particularly in California, renewable energy is moving to the forefront in addressing the public’s interest in "green energy." National policies encourage development of renewable energy -- wind, geothermal, solar, and biomass -- on public lands. California has taken a leadership role by requiring acceleration of renewable energy production – the "20 percent by 2010" effort under the State’s Renewables Portfolio Standard. As a result, BLM is working cooperatively with California to make additional public lands available to help meet those goals.
California is a national leader in the production of wind energy (second to Texas), producing about 20 percent of the nation’s total capacity. Currently, about 3,000 wind turbines on public lands produce 258 megawatts of power and $500,000 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.
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