San Diego’s New Turbine Farm Has Some Heads Spinning

Generating enough electricity to supply power to the equivalent of 40,000 homes, the Tule Wind Farm isn’t popular with everyone due to the potential impact on local wildlife.

After a year battle, electricity-producing wind turbines are now in full rotation in San Diego’s East County.

The towers are not concentrated in a single location. Instead, they cover an expanse of about 5 miles, connected by dirt roads. They loom so high that no driver traveling on Interstate 8 can miss them. With 57 towering structures in all, the Tule Wind Farm is said to generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of 40,000 homes with power.

According to a story in The San Diego Union-Tribune, “The turbines climb 262 feet into the sky and the blades attached to each rotor stretch to a diameter of 351 feet—more than the length of a football field—in order to catch the maximum amount of wind that consistently blows through the area’s rocks, brush, cacti and canyons.”

But not all locals are thrilled about their new neighbors. Opponents have raised concerns about the turbines’ impact on local wildlife, particularly the golden eagle.

You can read the entire story here.