51st largest plant in Washington · 2367th nationally
Palouse is a wind power plant in Washington with a nameplate capacity of 105 MW. It generates roughly 294.9k MWh per year — enough to power about 28,084 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 32% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Palouse |
|---|---|
| Operator | Onward Energy |
| City | Oakesdale |
| County | Whitman County |
| State | Washington |
| ZIP | 99170 |
| Coordinates | 47.15583, -117.36444 |
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 105 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Avista Corporation |
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%.