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Wind turbines are fast becoming the newest landmarks for boaters cruising along the Pacific coast of Mexico

In southern Baja California, about 400 acres in the community of Matancitas near Los Cabos will house eight new wind turbines as part of a $40 million investment by Ecoenergy, a U.S. company. The new turbines will generate 20 megawatts of electricity to benefit the tourist towns of Los Cabos, La Paz and Loreto, and the mountain town of Comundu. Baja officials say they expect the turbines to be working by mid 2011, according to the MBW news service.

Farther down the coast in the state of Oaxaca, the Mexican baking giant Grupo Bimbo invested $200 million (U.S. funds) to build an enormous wind farm called Piedra Larga. Construction started last month. When it is brought online, the 90-megawatt generating station will become the world’s largest wind project dedicated to serving the food industry, providing all the electricity consumed by Bimbo’s 65 bakeries and food facilities throughout Mexico.

Piedra Larga “represents an effort toward the use of renewable energy,” said a company spokesperson.

Cruising stops in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca include Bahias de Huatulco, Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido.

Mexico’s federal department of energy and environment reports discussing with Mase Energy their joint plans to build 12 new wind turbines in San Luis Potosi, costing about $100 million. Although construction of that wind farm won’t begin until 2013, it is expected to generate 500 megawatts.

Cruising sailboats often employ smaller versions of wind generators that keep ship batteries charged, even while at anchor.

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Know they work.. but it just doesn't look the same .... kind of like those oil rigs in Long Beach and along the cost.. yeah, I know...... just saying...

After a very dark, cloudy, rainy day yesterday where my solar panels were putting out less than 10% of their rating (at best) my batteries were fed almost 5 kW overnight from wind energy.

I love those things and am looking at a 1500 watt model that I will probably add to my system this spring...

Years ago I worked on the big windmills over by Davis Ca They dont do much for the sky line and if you are close to them they are noisy

The large ones are noisy but the newer, smaller versions are not. All I heard last night was wind...

The good thing about those systems like you have is they give you power where none is avalible and the newer ones are super dependable. a year or two before i moved where i live that was all they had but since i dont know of anyone that is still useing one.

Aside from Wiley's issue about esthetics, there has been a significant backlash from folks who claim that these things are deadly to birds.

We haven't caught a bird yet in the turbine blades. Our dogs have caught a few road runners and quail though...