# Wind Royalties and Lease Payments in Kern County, California > Kern County, California: 45 wind projects, 3,253.9 MW. Buckhead Energy buys wind lease payments and wind royalties. - URL: https://www.buckheadenergy.com/wind-royalties/california/kern - Last updated: 2026-11-03 - Publisher: Buckhead Energy (https://www.buckheadenergy.com/) - Format: full-content Markdown twin of the page (same content as the HTML; site navigation and footer removed) Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/) › [Selling Wind Royalties and Wind Lease Payments](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/wind-royalties) › [California](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/wind-royalties/california) › Kern County Quick answer Buckhead Energy buys wind lease payments and wind royalties. Kern County, California has 45 operating wind projects with 3,249 turbines and 3,253.9 MW of recorded capacity in the county, according to the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (version 9.1, released September 28, 2026). ## Wind projects in Kern County The projects came online between 1982 and 2021.^\[1\] Turbine makers represented in the county: Vestas (666 turbines), GE Wind (535 turbines) and Micon (177 turbines).^\[1\] 1,540 of the 3,249 turbines in the county have no recorded capacity in the database, so the megawatt figures count the rest.^\[1\] | Project | Online | Turbines in the county | Capacity in the county (MW) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Voyager II | 2018 | 54 | 193.5 | | Manzana Winds | 2012 | 126 | 189 | | Pinyon Pines I | 2012 | 59 | 177 | | Alta VIII (partial) | 2011 | 58 | 174 | | Alta V | 2011 | 56 | 168 | | North Sky River | 2012 | 100 | 162 | | Alta I | 2010 | 101 | 151.5 | | Alta III | 2011 | 50 | 150 | | Pacific Wind | 2012 | 70 | 143.5 | | Alta VI (partial) | 2011 | 46 | 138 | | Alta X | 2013 | 48 | 136.8 | | Voyager Wind | 2019 | 38 | 131.1 | | Alta II | 2010 | 41 | 123 | | Pine Tree Wind Farm | 2009 | 80 | 120 | | Windstar | 2012 | 60 | 120 | | Alta IV | 2011 | 37 | 111 | | Pinyon Pines II | 2012 | 37 | 111 | | Rising Tree North | 2014 | 30 | 99 | | Rising Tree South | 2015 | 30 | 99 | | Alta XI | 2013 | 49 | 91.4 | | Brookfield Tehachapi 1 (CCDLP) | 2012 | 26 | 78 | | Sky River Repower | 2021 | 21 | 58.7 | | Point Wind Plant | 2021 | 16 | 57.6 | | Oasis Repowering | 2020 | 16 | 55.2 | | Wind Wall | 2021 | 13 | 44.9 | 20 smaller projects are not listed. Source: U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USGS, ACP, LBNL), version 9.1, released September 28, 2026. Data compiled November 3, 2026. ## What the data means for wind lease owners in Kern County Turbines at the oldest project in the county have been in place since 1982.^\[1\] Wind power leases generally have terms of 20 to 40 years, often with an option to extend, while a typical utility-scale wind power project has a useful life of 20 years.^\[2\] The newest project here came online in 2021.^\[1\] In royalty arrangements, the developer pays the landowner a percentage of the revenue received from the electricity produced by the turbines.^\[2\] Minimum payments serve as a floor so landowners receive some revenue even when maintenance outages or lower winds cut production in a given year.^\[2\] ## What you sell and what you keep What Buckhead buys depends on the deal, and Buckhead tells the seller up front which interest it is offering to buy — for example, the payments for the rest of the current lease term, a term easement, or a longer-term interest. A wind lease rents land for a term of years, and wind power leases generally have terms of 20 to 40 years, often with an option for extending the lease.^\[2\] Under a wind lease, the landowner typically keeps the right to continue to grow crops, raise cattle or otherwise use the land outside the project.^\[2\] Educational information only — not legal, tax, or investment advice. The figures are public reference data, not a valuation or appraisal of any interest. Consult a qualified attorney, CPA, or landman about your specific situation. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many wind projects are in Kern County, California? Kern County, California has 45 operating wind projects with 3,249 turbines and 3,253.9 MW of recorded capacity in the county, according to the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (version 9.1, released September 28, 2026).^\[1\] 1,540 of the 3,249 turbines in the county have no recorded capacity in the database, so the megawatt figures count the rest.^\[1\] ### Which wind projects operate in Kern County? The largest projects are Voyager II (2018, 193.5 MW), Manzana Winds (2012, 189 MW), Pinyon Pines I (2012, 177 MW), Alta VIII (partial) (2011, 174 MW), Alta V (2011, 168 MW), North Sky River (2012, 162 MW) and Alta I (2010, 151.5 MW).^\[1\] The next are Alta III (2011, 150 MW), plus 17 more in the table above and 20 smaller ones the table does not list.^\[1\] ### Can I sell wind lease payments or royalties in Kern County? Buckhead Energy buys wind lease payments and wind royalties. What Buckhead buys depends on the deal, and Buckhead tells the seller up front which interest it is offering to buy — for example, the payments for the rest of the current lease term, a term easement, or a longer-term interest. ### When did wind projects in Kern County come online? Of the projects with a recorded year, nine came online in the 1980s, three in the 1990s, five in the 2000s, 23 in the 2010s and four in the 2020s.^\[1\] Wind power leases generally have terms of 20 to 40 years, often with an option to extend, while a typical utility-scale wind power project has a useful life of 20 years.^\[2\] ### Which nearby California counties also have wind projects? Nearby California counties with wind projects include Los Angeles County (1.9 MW), San Bernardino County (8.7 MW), Riverside County (666.8 MW), Santa Barbara County (95.3 MW) and San Diego County (183 MW).^\[1\] ## Related pages [Wind Royalties and Lease Payments in California](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/wind-royalties/california) [Selling Wind Royalties and Wind Lease Payments](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/wind-royalties) [Oil and gas mineral rights in Kern County, California](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/mineral-rights/california/kern) [Mineral rights in California](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/mineral-rights/california) [Solar Lease Payments and Royalties in Kern County](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/solar-lease-royalties/california/kern) [Wind Royalties and Lease Payments in Los Angeles County](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/wind-royalties/california/los-angeles) [Wind Royalties and Lease Payments in San Bernardino County](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/wind-royalties/california/san-bernardino) [Wind Royalties and Lease Payments in Riverside County](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/wind-royalties/california/riverside) [Wind Royalties and Lease Payments in Santa Barbara County](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/wind-royalties/california/santa-barbara) [Wind Royalties and Lease Payments in San Diego County](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/wind-royalties/california/san-diego) ## Sources \[1\] [U.S. Wind Turbine Database (version 9.1, released September 28, 2026)](https://energy.usgs.gov/uswtdb/) — U.S. Geological Survey, American Clean Power Association and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (accessed November 1, 2026) \[2\] [New York Wind Energy Guide for Local Decision Makers: Land Agreements](https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/-/media/Project/Nyserda/Files/Publications/Research/Biomass-Solar-Wind/NY-Wind-Energy-Guide-3.pdf) — New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) (accessed November 1, 2026) ## Ready to Sell Your Wind Lease Payments or Royalties? Buckhead Energy buys wind lease payments and wind royalties. [Get a Free Written Offer](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/sell#inquiry:source=%2Fwind-royalties%2Fcalifornia%2Fkern&county=Kern+County) ## About Buckhead Energy Buckhead Energy is a direct buyer, not a broker — we purchase mineral and royalty interests with our own capital. Buckhead Energy buys mineral and royalty interests across all 50 states and has completed acquisitions in 33 states. Buckhead Energy has been buying mineral and royalty interests since 2006. Buckhead Energy holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Buckhead provides a free written offer. Buckhead Energy typically provides an offer within 24–48 hours. Closings typically take 30–45 days, subject to title review and clearance. Buckhead Energy's written offers stay open for 14 days. **Sell mineral rights:** https://www.buckheadenergy.com/sell **Operator directory:** https://www.buckheadenergy.com/operators