Bill, Kendra and I took a tour of the huge wind farm in the Valley of Palm Springs; there are over 3000 turbines that grace this valley; the wind, and there is always a wind, sweeps up the canyon from Beaumont and the turbines turn out the electricity that is supposed to support homes in the Valley and into Los Angeles. 
A lot of study , trial and error goes into erecting turbines; bat population flying into the lights on the turbines at night, the roosting birds, the water table and soil contamination from cleaning the hydraulics, maintenance, health issues from shadows and the intermittent light change as the turbine turns, not to mention the output of the newer versus the older structures. An amazing industry! Above, our guide is demonstrating how the wind forces the turbines to constantly turn, and the braking system when they want them to shut down, which is frequently done for maintenance and if the wind is too fierce. A very interesting and enlightening tour...information overload!
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