Winds in California get a bad rap for exacerbating the state’s devastating wildfires, but wind is also a form of clean energy that the state wants to make greater use of.

The first major wind farms in the US were built in California, after which the industry boomed across the country. There are now more than 60,000 turbines in the U.S., with the largest clusters in the Midwest.

California has some of the largest goals for renewable energy in the country. Under state law, California must run on 60% renewable energy by 2030; This rate will increase to 100% by 2045.

Just over half of the electricity generated for Californians in 2022 came from solar, wind, other renewable and nuclear energy, while 36% came from natural gas plants.

winds of change

Offshore wind farms have increased in popularity worldwide because they produce energy day and night.

In July, California Energy Commission It unanimously approved a comprehensive plan to develop massive floating offshore wind farms in Humboldt County and Morro Bay.

Five energy companies are currently evaluating the fields, which are expected to last five years. This will be followed by approximately two years of design, construction, and environmental and technical reviews.

Part of the plan is to install offshore wind turbines 20 miles offshore, at a depth of 4,000 feet, to generate and send 25 gigawatts onshore by 2045.

25 gigawatts is enough to power 25 million homes.

It is difficult to determine the estimated costs of offshore wind farms. A 3.5 gigawatt wind farm in New Mexico with at least 900 turbines has reached $11 billion in financing. Construction began in 2023 and is expected to begin in 2026. The New Mexico farm is expected to send electricity to Arizona and California.

Blackridge Research and ConsultingThe environmental energy research firm estimates that the production and installation of a 12-megawatt offshore wind farm would cost approximately $400 million. By this calculation, a 3.5 gigawatt farm could be worth more than $116 billion.

Wind, nuclear and solar compared

How many wind turbines would it take to equal the energy output of a typical nuclear reactor? That would require about 800 of today’s average-sized, land-based wind turbines, according to a Q&A from MIT climate scientists. This is the equivalent of approximately 8.5 million solar panels.

Disadvantages

The Ministry of Energy says some of the disadvantages of wind energy are:

intermittent

Noise and visual pollution

Some negative environmental effects

wind energy far

In terms of land use, a 2018 study from the Department of Energy found that the average power density of solar energy (measured in watts per square meter) is 10 times higher than wind energy.

State ranks

Top 10 states in wind energy production and percentage of total U.S. wind energy production as of July

Texas | 9,114 | 32.4%

Oklahoma | 3,031 | 10.8

in Kansas | 2,153 | 7.7

Iowa | 2,001 | 7.1

Colorado | 1,219 | 4.3

California | 1,202 | 4.3

Illinois | 1,020 | 3.6

New Mexico | 908 | 3.2

Oregon | 791 | 2.8

North Dakota | 757 | 2.7

Sources: California Energy Commission, Energy and Environmental Economics, American Wind Energy Association, Energy.gov, CalWEA.org, Calmatters.org, Blackridge Research and Consulting