San Diego Area Synergistic Solar and Wind Project

Thanks to legislation, policies, and citizen motivation, California has become one of the top solar states in the country and San Diego solar has outreached any other city within the state. However, there is one problem about solar power: you need the sun, and half of the day is without it. The same critic has been given to wind power, but that you need the wind.

As solar and wind power are intermittent sources of renewable energy, grid operators may experience complications when trying to manage the supply and demand for electricity and keep it in balance.

In California, however, the answer was clear: build a combined solar and wind power plant. This type of combination is optimal for a region like Southern California when the winds blow strongly at night during all seasons and the sun is strongest during the day.

In Southern California in the Tehachapi-Mojave region a 140-megawatt Pacific Wind farm was placed nearby a 143-megawatt solar power station in Catalina to create a hybrid wind-solar power plant. The wind farm launched in August and the solar power station is estimated to begin generating power by the end of 2012.

The foothills of the mountains in the Tehachapi region roll into the Mojave desert. This natural environment creates some of the country’s highest winds in addition to the most intense sun exposure - making the region ideal for both wind and solar power plants.

The synergistic effect of wind and solar power combined in one project not only allows for more efficient energy generation but also a more efficient use of transmission lines that carry the generated electricity to the national grid. In fact, a transmission line is currently being built to jointly carry approximately 5,000 megawatts of the renewable energy from the region to the coastal cities. These types of lines will be used 15 to 25 percent more than tradition solar- or wind-only lines.

Solaire energy systems combined with wind is an innovative approach to more efficiently generating renewable energy. However, it may not be appropriate in all regions within the country. The combination of mountains and desert in the Tehachapi-Mojave, for example, are perfect for such a venture.