It the same situation near Palm Springs….. many wind turbines, very few operating.
The overall capacity factor (energy output divided by potential energy output at 100% load) for wind is about 28%. If a turbine is rated at 1,000 kW (i.e., 1 megawatt), that means produces 280 kW on average.
Conventional plants have capacity factors 70% to 85%.
They are spending all this money on this high-cost generation plant that produces one-third of what a conventional plant produces. Another way to look at it is you need to install THREE TIMES the windmills as you would a conventional plant to get the same energy out.
Even worse, windmills are not “dispatchable,” so you need a way to store the energy. Batteries will not do it. There are no feasible energy storage systems. Even if there were, you’d have to build enough storage to get you through a wind lull that can last several days. So you have to build lots more wind turbines to get the same rated output of a conventional plant AND you need to invest a fortune in ANOTHER power plant to store the energy when the doesn’t blow.
The whole think is a massive fraud. Of course, it is all predicated on the idea that we must somehow “decarbonize” which requires you to believe CO2 emissions from conventional power plants are hazardous. That’s a whole ‘nother lie you need to buy into. It is the first base lie upon which this whole house of cards is built.
I saw the same thing there. That was back in 1987.