Altech III

Wind power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 33.915, -116.5551.

WindCaliforniaUnited States of America

Altech III is a 25 MW wind power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by Terra-Gen Operating Co-Wind. Based on reported annual generation of 5 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.4k homes. It ranks #4469 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1985, it is around 41 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 10.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

25Legacy source-record capacity
5GWh reported / yr
1,428homes powered
1985commissioned (~41 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050485.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAltech III WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates33.915, -116.5551 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity25 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTerra-Gen Operating Co-Wind WRI
Commissioned1985 WRI
GWh reported / yr5 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#4469 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#740 of 1139 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.37× · 68 MW median · 1139 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,428 calculated from reported generation
Climate21.5°C · HDD 534 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 42/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 25 MW, Altech III is below the median wind plant in United States of America (68 MW). Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2013: 38 GWh20132014: 38 GWh20142015: 29 GWh20152016: 31 GWh20162017: 22 GWh20172018: 9 GWh20182019: 5 GWh201938 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Terra-Gen Operating Co-Wind. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

21.5°Cannual mean temp
534heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,816cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
253 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 14 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 28 °CJJ: 31 °CJA: 31 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 23 °CON: 16 °CND: 12 °CD31 °C

Heating degree-days here run 78% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 21/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
42/100environmental-severity index
18.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
133 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #740 largest wind power plant of 1139 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1139 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 104,873 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 33.915, -116.5551 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Altech III?

Altech III is a 25 MW source-record wind power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 1985.

How much electricity does Altech III generate?

Altech III generates about 5 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Altech III power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,428 homes.

Who operates Altech III?

Altech III is operated by Terra-Gen Operating Co-Wind.

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