Alta Wind Energy Center III
Kern County, California · EIA plant ID 57292 · Operator: alta wind energy center iii
Nameplate150MWSummer 150 MW
Generators1in service
Net generation318GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor24%wind units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online2011
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), wind units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Heat rate applies to fuel-burning (thermal) units only.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 364.3 | 30.3% | — |
| 2012 | 318.4 | 24.2% | — |
| 2013 | 361.1 | 27.5% | — |
| 2014 | 349.2 | 26.6% | — |
| 2015 | 300.3 | 22.9% | — |
| 2016 | 380.5 | 28.9% | — |
| 2017 | 350.5 | 26.7% | — |
| 2018 | 361 | 27.5% | — |
| 2019 | 261.3 | 19.9% | — |
| 2020 | 332.3 | 25.2% | — |
| 2021 | 363 | 27.6% | — |
| 2022 | 345.3 | 26.3% | — |
| 2023 | 302.6 | 23.0% | — |
| 2024 | 363.2 | 27.6% | — |
| 2025 | 318.3 | 24.2% | — |
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AW03 | Onshore Wind Turbine | WT | 150 | 150 | Feb 2011 | Operating | — | vestas V90-3.0 |
Owner / operator
Operator: alta wind energy center iii. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| NRG Renew | 100.0% | 150 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Alta Wind Energy Center II | 150 MW | 0 km |
| Mustang Hills LLC | 150 MW | 0.8 km |
| Windhub Solar A LLC | 20 MW | 0.8 km |
| SEPV Mojave West | 20 MW | 1.2 km |
| Windhub Solar B, LLC | — | 2.6 km |
| Voyager Wind I | 131 MW | 2.7 km |