Wind energy projects totaling over 6,171 megawatts (MW) of capacity are operating in California today,1 providing enough electricity to power about 2.4 million California households.2
In 2024, California wind projects generated 15,761 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity – 7.3% of all power generated within California.3
In 2024, out-of-state wind projects (including in Baja California) generated 17,340 GWh of electricity for California, representing 28% of total power imports.3
Combined, wind projects supplied 12% of California’s total system power,3 more than enough to power all residences in Los Angeles, Riverside, and Sacramento Counties combined.2
Wind energy accounted for 32% of renewable energy production to meet California’s Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) goals as of 2023.4 (See figure below.)
Generating wind power creates no emissions and uses virtually no water.
| Utility-Scale Wind Energy By California County1 (View Map) | # MW |
|---|---|
| Alameda County (Altamont Pass) | 213 |
| Contra Costa County (Altamont Pass) | 114 |
| Imperial County | 264 |
| Kern County (Tehachapi - Antelope Valley) | 3,254 |
| Merced County | 148 |
| Riverside County (San Gorgonio Pass) | 667 |
| San Diego County | 183 |
| Santa Barbara County | 95 |
| Shasta County | 101 |
| Solano County | 1,096 |
| Commercial & Industrial Wind Turbine Installations Statewide | 36 |
| Total | 6,171 |
Annual Generation (GWh)
Source: California Energy Commission (2023 data)4
Sources
- Data compiled by CalWEA primarily from the U.S. Wind Turbine Database V8.3 (March 25, 2026). (See https://eerscmap.usgs.gov/uswtdb/.) Merced County data from Scout Clean Energy (Gonzaga Ridge operational by May 2026). The California Energy Commission reports 6,194 MW of California wind capacity as of 4th Quarter 2024. (See Wind Generation Reporting System Summary Report, 5/15/2024 - https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2025-06/WGRS_Summary_Report_2024_ada.pdf.) Commercial and Industrial figure from Foundation Windpower (partial overlap with County data). (See https://foundationwindpower.com/projects.html, accessed April 2026.)
- Calculated by CalWEA based on U.S. Wind Turbine Database, California Dept. of Finance, and EIA data.
- California Energy Commission, Energy Almanac, Total System Electric Generation (2024). (See https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/california-electricity-data/2024-total-system-electric-generation.)
- California Energy Commission, Clean Energy Serving California. (See https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/clean-energy-serving-california.)