Zond Energy Systems
Zond 750 kW
The turbine blade is from a Zond Z-50 wind turbine that stood nearby, quite visible from our location. The wind farm featuring these turbines was built in 1999 and operated successfully for about twenty years. It was demolished in mid-2022.
- Length: ~80 feet / 25 meters (the Z-50 designation refers to the rotor diameter of 50 meters)
- Weight: 8000 pounds / 3600 kg
Zond thoroughly tested its turbine and blade design to avoid many American predecessors’ problems. Their turbine was indeed quite reliable.
General Electric 1.5 MW
The General Electric (GE) wind turbines that operate on this property today feature even larger blades. The nearest of these was erected in 2011, and the blades have proven robust. Nearby, similar GE wind turbines with similar specifications have been operating since 2003, albeit with blades of inferior quality. Even in this modern era, manufacturers continue to learn lessons about design and quality while producing highly reliable machines.
- Length: 125 feet / 38.5 meters
- Weight: 14,000 pounds / 6400 kg
Vestas V90
Looking over the solar farm to the east, you will note two Vestas V90 wind turbines. Installed in 2012, these blades are incrementally longer than those on the GE turbine.
- Length: 150 feet / 45 meters
Vestas V117
Across the I-10 highway stand fourteen Vestas V117 wind turbines, currently the tallest wind turbines in the San Gorgonio Pass. The foreground turbines may appear as large, but this is due to perspective: the Vestas stand much more distant, and each is significantly taller, standing 300 feet or 91.5 meters to the hub.
- Length: 192 feet / 58.5 meters