Kern County Wind Power

if you drive about half an hour north of palmdale you'll find herself here in the foothills of kern counties to have to be mountains they are studded with joshua trees that sports icon of the mojave but a new symbol is also rising reaching its limbs into the desert sky planted and it's a josh was within three thousand wind turbines resembling large white the older models are at six stories high and the newest are taller than the statue of liberty kern county planner moral myopia largest internal unrest in the middle of a two hundred and twenty three thousand acre windy area where we hope we can cite enough wind for over three million households this vast wind farms a conglomeration of a dozen private projects that sell energy to southern california edison and two other utilities opiates planning office makes it easier to build alternative energy projects and shepherding developers through the permitting process current has ambitions to power more of the state olivia projects that by twenty twenty the county will produce enough wind and solar energy to

supply seven million homes industry analysts say that's entirely likely in part because current has some of the best wind and sun resources in the state and much of the infrastructure needed to export the power john white directs the center for energy efficiency and renewable technologies lorelei over yet says the county prides itself on understanding and addressing environmental concerns that means helping energy developers find more suitable location we make sure when projects to take into account the fact that we'd like to leave the desert as untouched as possible to pay off on windfall of tax revenue perhaps as much as thirty million here two decades from now and new jobs at a time when unemployment in current is running around sixteen percent and says elliott i like housing developments energy projects especially wind farms

joe cost to be getting instruction and it's still raining water going over yet says the kennedy prefers energy projects to be developed on private and state of public land that way the county gets that tax revenue and wildlife is protected on land managed by the federal government large tracks of private land are harder to come by still many property owners in this conservative party have already signed on ranchers have been the turbines don't disturb their cattle they bring an extreme southeast to build a wind farm town portland cement is leasing nine thousand acres surrounding its limestone mine to wind turbine company plant manager receiver says the project it's also we believe the injuries in general take a very small footprint back at the turbines linda parker of the kern county wind

association says many desert land owners hadn't found a way to profit from their holdings until now a lot of these landowners are getting royalties and you know it's a retirement that they otherwise never would've imagined that they were going to get i think this to a gold rush kern county is positioning itself to scoop up the money and hoping that with careful planning its foray into alternative power will result in a full blown energy in mojave also said he'll at nine point three kpcc