The San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, often recognized by travelers on Interstate 10 near Palm Springs, is one of North America’s oldest and largest wind energy generating facilities. Established in the early 1980s, it pioneered large-scale commercial wind power development in the United States. The sprawling array of turbines stretches across Riverside County, serving as an iconic landmark for the Coachella Valley. Its sustained operation is a direct result of its unique geography, which provides a remarkably consistent source of wind.
The Unique Environmental Conditions
The wind farm is situated in a natural corridor created by the San Bernardino Mountains to the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. This geological formation, known as the San Gorgonio Pass, acts as a mountain gap that funnels air from the coast inland. The powerful air movement is driven by the significant temperature difference between two distinct climate zones.
Air from the cooler coastal areas of the Los Angeles Basin is pulled eastward through the pass toward the hotter, less dense air of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. This process accelerates the wind speed as the air is squeezed through the narrow opening, an aerodynamic principle often referred to as the Venturi effect. The resulting consistent, high-speed flow makes the San Gorgonio Pass one of the windiest regions in the country, ensuring highly efficient, continuous electricity production.
Connecting to the Grid
The electricity generated by the turbines does not exclusively power Palm Springs or the immediate Coachella Valley area. Instead, the power is fed directly into the state’s larger transmission network, managed by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). The wind farm’s power is aggregated at local collection points, such as the Devers Substation, where it is converted to high-voltage current for long-distance travel.
Once the electrical current enters the main transmission lines, the energy mixes indistinguishably with power from solar, geothermal, and natural gas plants across the state. The San Gorgonio Pass facility thus contributes to the overall stability and supply of the entire Southern California electric grid, and potentially the wider state system. The generated wind energy is treated as a bulk commodity, sold wholesale to major utility companies, such as Southern California Edison, which then distributes the power to its millions of customers across its service territory.
Size and Scope of the San Gorgonio Pass Facility
The wind farm’s history is characterized by a significant transition from a high number of small turbines to a smaller number of large, high-capacity models. When the facility peaked in the late 1980s, it contained over 4,200 small, less efficient turbines. Through a continuous process of “repowering”—replacing older equipment with advanced technology—the number of operational units has been greatly reduced.
The facility currently operates approximately 667 turbines. Although the turbine count is much lower than its historical peak, the total generating capacity has increased due to the superior output of the new machines. The modern turbines have a combined rated capacity of around 656 megawatts, making the facility a significant contributor to California’s renewable energy portfolio. This capacity is sufficient to power an estimated 195,000 average homes annually.