2.2.7. Wind

Wind power generation in California has a long history dating back to 1980, and current total installed capacity is 5964 MW [36]. All wind farms in California are on-shore, with different types of generators, ranging from the older ones with a typical installed capacity of less than 1 MW, to some recent ones with capacities of over 3 MW. Currently, the U.S. Wind Turbine Database of the U.S. Geological Survey [44] estimates the number of generators installed in California to be approximately 6000 units, of which slightly less than 3000 units are characterized by an installed capacity between 1 MW and 3 MW. However, the database includes decommissioned and duplicate turbines; combined with the uncertainty on specific technical data for the turbines, it was thus deemed acceptable to adopt the Ecoinvent process for 1–3 MW onshore wind turbines in the WECC region as the most representative proxy for the totality of the wind farms in California. The model assumes a 20-year lifetime for all moving components and a 40-year lifetime for all the stationary components of the wind installation [38].
