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COACHELLA ’ S CONTRIBUTION
Today , composed of 2,100 turbines located on some 40 individual wind farms , the San Gorgonio Wind Park has been churning out clean energy since the early 1980s . It ’ s the third most productive source of wind energy in California .
Wind provides enough electricity to power more than 2 million households in the Golden State , according to the California Wind Energy Association ( CalWEA ), which states that more than 3.4 billion gallons of water are saved per year and California wind power reduces more than 7.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually .
“ Overall , wind supplies about 11.5 percent of the state ’ s total power , as of 2018 ,” says Nancy Rader , CalWEA ’ s executive director .
A lot of that comes from Southern California .
This spread : Windmills generate electric power in Palm Springs , California ; inset : An energy farm in Palm Springs features solar panels and wind turbines .
“ The San Gorgonio Wind Park is the first place in the country that created wind-generated en-ergy on a large scale ,” says Randy Buckmaster , vice president of operations for Palm Springs Windmill Tours ( see sidebar ). “ Much of the Coachella Valley gets its power from Southern California Edison , and 10 percent of Edison ’ s total power comes from wind .”
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