Alta Wind Energy Center

Is a partially completed wind farm located in Tehachapi Pass, California with an installed capacity of 720 MW. The wind farm is being developed by Terra-Gen Power which closed a $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. 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 a billion dollars to the local economy.^[1]

The "Alta-Oak Creek Mojave Project" consists of up to 320 wind turbines installed over a 9,000-acre (36 km²) area producing 800 MW of power.^[2] According to the American Wind Energy Association, two projects were completed in fall 2010, the 150MW Alta II(Vestas) project using 50 3MW generators and the 150MW Alta I project using 100 1.5MW generators.^[3] 150MW Alta III, 102MW Alta VI, and 168MW Alta V projects where completed in the first half of 2011 using 50, 41, and 56 3MW (Vestas) generators respectively.^[4]. Southern California Edison has agreed to a 25-year power purchase agreement for the power produced. The project will "reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 52 million metric tons, which is equivalent to taking 446,000 cars off the road". The project, which is being developed near the first large-scale wind farms installed in the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s, is "a powerful illustration of the growing size and scope of modern wind projects".^[1]

• Wind power in California
• Wind power in the United States

35°0′N 118°18′W / 35.000°N 118.300°W / 35.000; -118.300