America’s largest wind farms are about to be surpassed by the 115 million dollar Alta Wind Farm project in central California. The projected Alta Wind Farm will be three times the size of any existing US wind farm, and when finished, it will out power any wind farm in the world. The Alta Wind Farm will eventually cover 50 square miles in the Mohave desert, and will consist of at least 750 wind turbines. This project alone will eventually feed 3,000 MW’s of clean, renewable power into California’s power grid. The effects of this project will be felt along the West Coast from California to Colorado.
The largest current wind farm in the United States is run by Florida Power and Light and is located in Nolan county, Texas. Completed in 2006, the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in Taylor has 421 wind turbines with a capacity to produce 735 MW’s of power. When fully developed, the Alta Wind Farm Project will will increase the utility-scale wind power capacity by 14 in the Unites states, and by 64 in California. Alta has already contracted to sell its power to Southern California Edison in the largest wind power contract ever signed by a utility company.