The east and south area of the Tehachapi Pass has one of California's larger Wind farms, generating electricity. The turbines 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 2006 contract, which more than doubles SCE’s wind energy portfolio, envisions more than 50 square miles of wind parks in the Tehachapi region, which is triple the size of any existing U.S. wind farm.
I always snap a few of them, even in the snow, when we go through there on our way to Vegas. When they are whirling like crazy it's quite beautiful. Yesterday was calm so most of the windmills were not doing their job, but that's ok.
Warning, if you click on the photos below, they are quite huge and will take some time to load.
