Windmill Power

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On the north side of Palm Springs lies San Gorgonio Pass where I-10 goes west
through the mountains heading towards LA..
Stretching for miles along the pass and spilling into the valley there are approximately
2200 windmills of varying sizes, generations and manufacturers.


 Many stand over 200 feet tall with 3 blades that are each 125 feet long

Winds of 8-10 mph will start the windmill and at  50-60 mph they shut themselves down
to keep from damaging themselves

There are various types and sizes of windmills showing the evolution of windmills
due to the constant search for increased efficiency and reliability


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In the photo above you see where some of the older Eiffel tower type windmills have been replaced by newer generation windmills after they failed. Testing showed that critical, structural bolts would come lose due to wind generated vibrations.

They now have maintenance people come out regularly to climb the remaining older generation windmills and tighten nuts and bolts

The newest windmills are manufactured by Vestas and they are huge
standing 260 feet tall with have blades that are 144 feet long.
They cost $4.5 per windmill and have a 15-20 year lifespan



There are many windmills on many large parcels of land and there are
many different owners of these windmills.

Even Florida Power & Light owns windmills here through one of their subsidiaries Next Era Energy



Some owners have even begun installing solar farms amongst the windmills.
This trend is likely to continue so they can maximize the electrical generation per acre of land.

It takes 15 acres of solar panels to equal the electric generation of one of the new, larger windmills.
One more fun fact.... if you see a lot of windmills, it's probably going to be windy.....often!



If you are ever out this way take the two hour windmill tour.
Go to  Energy.gov/wind for more info.














































































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