168th largest plant in California · 1882nd nationally
Alta Wind Energy Center Iii is a wind power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 150 MW. It generates roughly 302.6k MWh per year — enough to power about 28,820 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 23% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Alta Wind Energy Center Iii |
|---|---|
| Operator | Alta Wind Iii, Llc |
| City | Mojave |
| County | Kern County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 93501 |
| Coordinates | 35.02389, -118.29528 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AW03 | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 150 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nrg Renew | Scottsdale, AZ | 10000.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | California Independent System Operator |
Wind farms harvest kinetic energy from moving air using large rotor blades coupled to generators. Like solar, they produce zero emissions but vary with weather. Onshore wind capacity factors typically run 30–45%; offshore can exceed 50%.