Alta Wind Energy Center
Southern California Edison has agreed to a 25-year power purchase agreement for the power produced as part of the power purchase agreements for up to 1500 MW or more of power generated from new projects to be built in the Tehachapi area. The project will "reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 5.2 million metric tons, which is equivalent to taking 446,000 cars off the road". A total of 3000 MW is planned.
The wind farm was developed by Terra-Gen Power which closed a US$1.2 billion financing deal in July 2010 with partners that included Citibank, Barclays Capital, and Credit Suisse. After many delays, the first phase began construction in 2010. Financing for additional phases of $650 million was secured in April 2012. Construction of the Alta Wind Energy Center is expected to create more than 3,000 domestic manufacturing, construction, and maintenance jobs, and contribute more than one billion dollars to the local economy.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Central_part_of_Tehachapi_Wind_Resource_Area_%28Alta_Wind_Energy_Center%2C_Tehachapi_Pass_wind_farm%29%2C_California_%E2%80%93_satellite_image_with_scale_bar.png/339px-Central_part_of_Tehachapi_Wind_Resource_Area_%28Alta_Wind_Energy_Center%2C_Tehachapi_Pass_wind_farm%29%2C_California_%E2%80%93_satellite_image_with_scale_bar.png)
The original "Alta-Oak Creek Mojave Project" plan consisted of up to 320 wind turbines occupying a 9,000-acre (36 km) area while producing 800 MW of power. That project was originally developed by Oak Creek Energy Systems under the contract with Terra-Gen, but the project development was later transferred to Terra-Gen. The project then became the first development under the umbrella of Alta Wind Energy Center.
The Alta-Oak Creek Mojave Project is generally located at the south side of the Oak Creek Road, starting a few miles west of the state route 14 in Mojave and continuing westward along the Oak Creek Road to the west side of the Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road.
According to the American Wind Energy Association, two initial projects were completed in fall 2010, the 150 MW Alta II (Vestas) project using 50 3 MW generators and the 150 MW Alta I project using 100 1.5 MW generators. Three subsequent projects 150 MW Alta III, 102 MW Alta IV, and 168 MW Alta V projects were completed in the 2nd quarter of 2011 using 50, 34, and 56 3 MW Vestas V-90 wind turbines. Alta VIII and Alta VI projects, comprising 300 MW, were completed in late 2011/early 2012, but they were renamed Brookfield Tehachapi 2 and Mustang Hills respectively. Alta VII and IX projects comprising 300 MW, were completed in December 2012 (bringing the total to 1320 MW), but they were renamed to Pinyon Pines Wind I and Pinyon Pines Wind II.
138 MW Alta X and 90 MW Alta XI are under development with scheduled completion in late 2013, 180 MW Alta XIII in 2019.
Overview
Plant | Operator | Capacity (MW) |
Commissioned | Cost, $ |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alta Wind Energy Center I | Terra-Gen Operating Co | 150 | Jan 2011 | 394 million |
Alta Wind Energy Center II | Terra-Gen Operating Co | 150 | Jan 2011 | 1200 million (units II-V) |
Alta Wind Energy Center III | Terra-Gen Operating Co | 150 | Feb 2011 | |
Alta Wind Energy Center IV | Terra-Gen Operating Co | 102 | Apr 2011 | |
Alta Wind Energy Center V | Terra-Gen Operating Co | 168 | Apr 2011 | |
Everpower Wind Holdings | Mustang Hills (Alta Wind VI) | 150 | May 2012 | 631 million (with unit VIII) |
Pinyon Pines Wind I | Pinyon Pine I (Alta Wind VII) | 168 | Nov 2012 | 650 million (with unit IX) |
Alta Wind VIII | Brookfield Energy Marketing | 150 | Jan 2012 | |
Pinyon Pines Wind II | Pinyon Pine II (Alta Wind IX) | 132 | Nov 2012 | |
Alta Wind X | Terra-Gen Operating Co | 138 | Jan 2014 | |
Alta Wind XI | Terra-Gen Operating Co | 90 | Jan 2014 |
Electricity production
Year | Alta I 150 MW |
Alta II 150 MW |
Alta III 150 MW |
Alta IV 102 MW |
Alta V 168 MW |
Alta VI 150 MW |
Alta VII 168 MW |
Alta VIII 150 MW |
Alta IX 132 MW |
Alta X 138 MW |
Alta XI 90 MW |
Total Annual MW·h |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | 395,703 | 336,193 | 364,270 | 149,373 | 239,021 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1,484,560 |
2012 | 353,793 | 296,135 | 318,407 | 150,322 | 243,738 | 181,718 | 18,115 | - | 12,689 | - | - | 1,574,917 |
2013 | 398,985 | 348,908 | 361,051 | 178,777 | 283,238 | 302,869 | 363,653 | 285,358 | 258,485 | - | - | 2,781,324 |
2014 | 403,255 | 328,958 | 349,245 | 168,320 | 269,901 | 304,728 | 365,507 | 282,719 | 255,597 | 328,080 | 249,985 | 3,306,295 |
2015 | 341,120 | 279,829 | 300,282 | 134,744 | 220,012 | 252,832 | 288,517 | 231,524 | 202,586 | 309,408 | 222,142 | 2,782,996 |
2016 | 413,363 | 360,216 | 380,465 | 183,393 | 293,378 | 314,587 | 346,699 | 294,789 | 250,438 | 364,926 | 276,368 | 3,478,622 |
2017 | 366,518 | 325,932 | 350,502 | 162,752 | 263,466 | 289,326 | 319,578 | 251,380 | 230,440 | 340,379 | 248,865 | 3,149,138 |
2018 | 399,302 | 349,772 | 361,029 | 178,715 | 284,839 | 303,482 | 339,370 | 270,077 | 244,263 | 373,532 | 261,386 | 3,365,767 |
2019 | 366,019 | 366,720 | 261,255 | 150,299 | 311,896 | 264,116 | 275,335 | 237,117 | 203,749 | 366,641 | 246,686 | 3,049,833 |
Average Annual Production (years 2014–2019) | 3,188,775 |
See also
- Tehachapi Wind Resource Area
- Wind power in California
- Wind power in the United States
- Ivanpah Solar Power Facility
References
- ^ "Top five biggest wind farms in the US". Construction Review Online. Retrieved Mar 17, 2022.
- ^ Terra-Gen bags $631m for more phases at California's Alta Wind Archived 2014-12-24 at the Wayback Machine Renewable Energy World, 29 July 2010.
- ^ World's Largest Wind Project is Underway Archived 2011-08-29 at the Wayback Machine Recharge, June 3, 2011
- ^ "GE Acquires California Wind Farm, UK Energy Management Firm". Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Alta Wind Energy Center. 2010. Archived from the original on July 25, 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^ "Notice of Preparation of a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (Alta Infill II)" (PDF). Kern County, California. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^ California U.S. Wind Energy Projects - California Archived 2010-10-07 at the Wayback Machine, AWEA, Oct 22, 2010
- ^ "CNBC: MidAmerican Wind Announces Completion of 300-Megawatt Pinyon Pines Wind I and II Projects". CNBC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2019.
- ^ "California Renewables Portfolio Standard: RPS Project Status Table 2013 July". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved Jul 29, 2019.
- ^ "Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory: Inventory of Operating Generators as of February 2017". Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
- ^ "Alta Wind Energy Center (AWEC), California". www.power-technology.com. Retrieved Aug 27, 2019.
- ^ "About innogy". iam.innogy.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved Jul 29, 2019.
- ^ "BHE Renewables". www.bherenewables.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved Jul 29, 2019.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.