21 Palm Springs Windmills Facts: The Most Sustainable Energy!

If you have ever driven down to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley of California, you did not miss the thousands of windmills or wind turbines dotting the desert landscape.

Converting wind energy into mechanical energy, these windmills are located in the San Gorgonio Pass, sandwiched between Mount San Gorgonio and Mount San Jacinto. Formally known as the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, this region is popularly referred to as the Palm Spring Windmills.

The first windmill was built in 1962. However, that project did not last long, and it wasn't until 1982 that an actual wind farm was created here. Each windmill measures several hundred feet, and its blades play an important role as a generator of clean energy. A windmill requires a large area that is regularly quite windy to function.

The functioning of a wind turbine is relatively easy. The wind causes the windmill's blades to rotate, which turns the rotor and shaft inside, to generate electricity. On the desert floor of the San Gorgonio Pass, the windmills are built in addition to solar panels to make use of the energy produced by the sun. With increasing research into sustainable sources of energy for a better future, these windmills in California serve as a lifeline for the whole of the United States. There are 2700 windmills in Palm Springs.

It is also possible to visit these windmills in California and take a tour of the desert region. Such a visit is highly educational, as it will fill one with the basics of a windmill and how it can sustain societal growth and development.

To learn more about the iconic windmills of Palm Springs, keep reading! You can also check out facts about energy and where does light come from.

Archives: Palm Springs Windmills 

The historical archives of the Palm Springs windmills make for a fascinating study. These windmills or wind turbines are found along the eastern slope of the San Gorgonio Pass. Several companies own the wind farms here, first built in the 1980s, making these wind turbines part of the oldest wind farm in the United States.

The first person to have come up with the idea of creating electricity using wind as the source in the San Gorgonio Pass region was Drew R. Oliver. Oliver himself was the owner of Oliver Electric Power Corporation. So, as early as 1962, Oliver built a turbine near the region of Whitewater, which could be used to generate electricity from wind. Subsequently, Oliver decided to gather enough funds to create enough wind turbines that would be a form of clean energy supply to the entirety of Palm Springs. Alas, Drew R. Oliver could not realize his dreams. His sole wind turbine, a point of attraction, was eventually sold off in 1942 as scrap.

Twenty years later, in 1982, formal research was done into the idea of developing wind energy in the San Gorgonio Pass. The study was titled 'San Gorgonia Wind Resources Study EIR' and was passed off to the local and central government bodies. This document became the basis of the approval of the construction of wind power in this region.

The first wind farm in the San Gorgonia Pass was made by Fred Noble, who was the President and the founder of Wintec Energy. Initially, his energy company constructed 212 wind turbines on an area of land that Noble himself owned. Eventually, these 212 wind turbines were replaced by 35 wind turbines of much larger magnitude, further replaced by five even larger machines. In present times, Noble has sold off most of his wind turbines, but he still owns the land they were built on. So, his company leases out these lands to different energy companies to develop their own wind turbines.

Overall, in the 1980s, above 1600 wind turbines were built in this region, contributing massively to wind development and the modernization of renewable energy production. It is also essential to mention that the locals of Palm Springs were against the construction of these windmills. A city council member compared the construction of these structures to strip mining, which took place in places like West Virginia. However, over the years, people did understand the importance of the Palm Springs windmills and how they are needed for a better future.

Governance: Palm Springs Windmills 

Several governing bodies are responsible for the maintenance of the Palm Springs windmills. Let us now take a quick look into them!

At the highest level, the United States Department of Energy is responsible for creating policies related to the energy production and conservation of the entire country. Hence, the windmills at Palm Springs fall under their purview. One of the most notable projects of the Department of Energy or DoE was the creation of the windmill named North Wind 250. This windmill has two blades and functions efficiently even in high wind situations.

At a state level, the California Energy Commission is also responsible for how the Palm Springs windmills function. The main aim of this commission is to reduce the use of fossil fuels as much as possible, and hence, wind energy has become a reliable alternative. The commission has estimated a higher increase in wind energy output in the coming years. Wintec Energy owns Plam Springs.

There is also the California Wind Energy Association, based in the state, with members involved in the windmill industry.

Sustainable Development: Palm Springs Windmills 

Needless to say, when it comes to the generation of renewable energy, wind power is unparalleled. Even though the Palm Spring Windmills were predominantly set up in the 1980s, the wind farms there are some of the essential energy producers of the region, contributing to sustainable development. Some statistics about wind energy will surely blow your mind. In the United States, wind power is the most significant source of renewable energy production. All over the world, wind energy comes in second place for the production of electricity in a sustainable manner.

In the San Gorgonio Pass, nearly 2300 wind turbines cover the region. Most of these wind turbines were created years ago, in the 1980s. In general, one windmill has 30 to 35 years of life longevity. Hence, many of the turbines in this region are stagnant and standing still. One of the first things that need to be done to ensure the landscape supports sustainable development is clearing off these older turbines. All in all, nearly 434,491 hp (324 MW) equivalent of turbines needs to be replaced in the region in the near future.

Additionally, it is much more challenging to operate old turbines, so once a windmill stops working, there are hardly any efforts to get it back up and running again. So, the entire wind farm of San Gorgonio Pass is littered with dysfunctional and old turbines that should be replaced by newer models sooner rather than later. The newer windmills are much more efficient at producing energy and do not require as much maintenance as the older ones.

Furthermore, the various agencies are also planning to install bigger and more-efficient windmills that can replace the smaller ones to produce the same amount of energy, thus, making Palm Springs visually cleaner and more attractive. It would also be a brilliant idea to begin the construction of more solar panels in the region. These solar panels could aid in generating more energy when the winds aren't strong enough to generate power from the wind turbines.

Energy Generation: Palm Springs Windmills 

You must wonder how the San Gorgonio Pass became the site for the construction of the first-ever wind farm and how wind energy is created. Continue reading to find the answer to all these queries and more!

The wind farm situated in the San Gorgonio Pass stretches over a vast area and is bordered by Mount San Gorgonio and Mount San Jacinto to its north and south, respectively. The San Gorgonio Pass resembles a transitional zone between Mediterranean and desert climates. This results in the Pass being one of the windiest places in the country; scientifically speaking, the wind is a kind of solar energy formed due to the heating of the surface by the sun.

The strength of the winds in the San Gorgonio Pass is so strong due to the difference in pressure in the Mediterranean and desert climates. On average, the wind speed in this region is between 15-20 mph (24-32 kph), with the highest wind speeds occurring during the summer months. Furthermore, the Pass has quite a narrow width, so the cool air rushing in is further compressed, making it stronger. All these reasons make this Pass the ideal location for constructing windmills.

Coming to the turbine, the earlier wind turbine of Palm Springs had four blades, but later research showed that three-bladed turbines are more efficient. Even though a wind turbine may look like an intimidating structure, its functioning for energy generation is quite simple; The passing wind results in the rotation of the turbine's blades. These blades are massive, sometimes as large as a football field. For some of the larger windmills, along with the blades, the turbine has a height of 410 ft (125 m). Each of these blades is connected to a rotor, which in turn is connected to a shaft. The movement of the rotors results in the rotation of shafts, which produces energy. Thus, this is how wind power is transformed into electricity. Each windmill costs about $300000 and can produce 402 hp (300 kW) of energy.

Each of the newer windmills requires about 13 mph (21 kph) speeds to act as a power generator. Interestingly, windmills are designed so that if the wind speed is more than 55 mph (88.5 kph), the turbines shut off automatically. Altogether, the turbines of Palm Spring are massive generators of power, producing nearly 2 million MMBtu (600 million kWh) of energy combined every year. This much energy is enough to power the entirety of the Coachella Valley and, of course, the Palm Springs.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for palm springs windmills facts, then why not take a look at 2 Examples Of Kinetic Energy or types of kinetic energy.