Energy in motion

Last week a celebration was held after the Spring Valley Wind Farm, located in White Pine Country a half hour east of Ely, began operating. The farm is the first wind energy project in Nevada, and will provide power for Las Vegas. It consists of 66 Siemens 2.3 megawatt turbines, and, according to NV Energy, “employed up to 225 workers [to construct]. About a dozen full-time permanent positions are required to keep the wind farm operational.” The turbines will generate around 150 megawatts, enough to power 45,000 homes.

The farm is situated on around 7,500 acres of land, but the turbine footprint is 77 acres, leaving the rest of the land open for hunting and cattle grazing. In the past, the farm has faced opposition by organizations concerned about the turbines’ impact on the environment.