Wind power needs even more land than solar for its massive 350 foot tall windmills.
The 845 MW capacity Shepherds Flat Wind Farm on the banks of the Columbia River near Arlington, Oregon was the largest in the world when it opened in late 2012.
It has 338 windmills on two large plots of ranch land occupying 30 square miles in two counties.
Wind has a higher capacity factor than solar, but takes up more space. To match Palo Verde’s usable electric output, Shepherds Flat would need 460 square miles. That’s nearly the size of Los Angeles.
To produce all the electricity in the United States it would take up half the state of Arizona, over 22 percent of all existing public BLM lands in the continental United States.
Read more at http://www.commdiginews.com/environment/solar-and-wind-electric-a-matter-of-land-area-10383/#MJABKijv8pLQXYqk.99
Read more at http://www.commdiginews.com/environment/solar-and-wind-electric-a-matter-of-land-area-10383/#MJABKijv8pLQXYqk.99