wind turbines by gabriel cristover perez

Eye on Texas: The ‘Bleached Sentinels’ of Nolan County

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A version of this story ran in the October 2016 issue.

gabriel c perez eye on texas wind turbines in nolan county

Gabriel Cristóver Pérez

This photo was taken along State Highway 153 near the small, unincorporated community of Nolan. Thousands of wind turbines are scattered throughout the area, grouped in massive wind farms. Nolan County has more than 1,300 turbines and has helped make Texas a bigger wind energy state than California. I’m fascinated by the scale of these machines every time I pass through the area. They stand, nearly silent, like massive bleached sentinels set against the mesas and expansive vistas of the High Plains.