Wind Turbines, near Tracy, CA, 2010.
All the pixels, arranged neatly in a row, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/4491948497
#photography
Wind Turbines, near Tracy, CA, 2010.
All the pixels, arranged neatly in a row, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/4491948497
#photography
This was captured near the Tesla substation (no relation to the car company) near Altamont Pass with a DSLR and a 400mm lens, compressing the turbines in a way that made them resemble a histogram.
There’s a lot of power being generated in those hills. The was an audible hum in the air and vibrations could be felt in the ground. In some spots, the camera rebooted from induced currents.
Infrastructure like this is easy to ignore, but has an accidental beauty that I think is worth examining.
@mattblaze@federate.social by “induced currents” you mean those caused by the blades becoming charged?
The scale of these wind farms is beyond what we’re equipped to process in day-to-day human experience. They conquer the landscape in ways we can’t fully comprehend even when they’re in front of us. In a sense, they’re abstract sculptures of themselves, mostly visible in fleeting glances from interstate highways or airplane windows.
@mattblaze@federate.social I both love and hate that there’s nothing in the shot to give a sense of scale. No ladder or human sized door, or truck/car
@mattblaze@federate.social I drove from Maryland to Califorjianin 2008 and each time I saw windmills I was so thrilled - they are not ugly and they are a concrete that we are marching into the future. Now whenever I land at an airport I judge the city by how much visible solar panels I can see. So many people missing an opportunity for good and for profit.
@mattblaze@federate.social During recent high winds, wind power generated over 50% of the UK’s electricity demand. There, the turbines are generally more spread out than these (UK has limited completely unpopulated areas even in rural spots). The rural landowners can still use 90% of the land for agriculture beneath and around them. Adding in solar, hydro, tidal, and storage, and by 2035, the UK may be completely renewables powered.