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Wind Turbines, Near Tracy, CA, 2010.
(fedia.io)
Wind Turbines, Near Tracy, CA, 2010.
A histogram of pixels 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.
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 In 2024 wind farms are still growing fast. The Netherlands now has approximately 4GW of sea-based wind, which delivers an average of ~50% of rated power. In 2030 they want to have 30 GW, in 2050 it should be 70 GW. I can see between 2-3 GW at 20-60 km distance from my bedroom window. No vibrations here. This is the panoramic image capturing the scene. https://share.icloud.com/photos/018OeydkiARWE2Sc2hHWCCjWg