Lease your land for wind in Texas

Texas has more installed wind capacity than any other US state — over 40 GW as of 2026, with major projects continuing to come online. The strongest wind resource concentrates in three regions: the Panhandle (Carson, Hutchinson, Sherman counties), West Texas (Howard, Sterling, Nolan), and the South Texas Coastal Bend (Nueces, San Patricio, Kenedy).

Per-turbine economics in Texas

Wind royalties in Texas typically pay $7,000-$12,000 per installed turbine per year, with annual escalators. A landowner hosting 8-12 turbines (typical for a 500-1,000 acre parcel in the Panhandle or West Texas) earns $60,000-$140,000 per year in base royalties.

Some Texas leases include percentage-of-gross-revenue terms — typically 3-5% of project gross — which can outperform flat-rate royalties when wholesale prices spike. Negotiate this if developer is open to it.

What Texas land is suitable

Wind developers in Texas look for:

• 80+ contiguous acres minimum — necessary for turbine spacing (typically one turbine per 40-60 usable acres)
• Mean wind speed at 80m hub ≥ 7.0 m/s (Texas Panhandle and West Texas exceed this; Coastal Bend approaches 8.0+)
• Open terrain — turbines need wind without obstruction; tree cover, ridges, and buildings reduce viability
• Not in a major bird/bat corridor (USFWS coordinates concerns around eagle nests and bat hibernacula)
• Access to ERCOT — most Texas wind sells into ERCOT, which has high curtailment risk in West Texas

The Landholder assessment uses NREL's actual 80m wind resource data for your specific coordinates.

Texas's three wind belts

Panhandle (Carson, Hutchinson, Sherman, Hansford, Gray) — strongest mean wind speeds in the state (8.0-8.5 m/s at 80m), already heavily developed. New projects in the pipeline. Royalties at the high end of the range.

West Texas (Howard, Sterling, Nolan, Coke, Mitchell, Borden) — 7.0-7.5 m/s, heavily developed in the 2010s. Some new builds for repowering; mostly mature. Royalties at mid-range.

South Texas Coastal Bend (Nueces, Kenedy, San Patricio, Kleberg) — 8.0-8.5 m/s onshore from Gulf trade winds. Newer market with significant new builds. Royalties at high end. Mineral-rights overlap is common — check ownership first.

Negotiating a Texas wind lease

Key terms:

• Per-turbine vs percentage-of-gross — push for whichever is higher in modeled scenarios; preferably both
• Turbine count guarantee — minimum turbines hosted vs. "may host up to X"
• Setback compensation — turbines built on neighboring land that impact your usage rights
• End-of-life decommissioning bond — Texas now requires significant bonds; ensure your lease passes this responsibility to the operator
• Extension terms — most leases include 1-2 extensions of 5-10 years each
• Surface use coordination — turbines occupy roughly 0.5-1 acre each; you retain grazing and farming rights on remaining acreage

Active Texas wind developers

Pattern Energy, NextEra Energy Resources, Invenergy, Apex Clean Energy, EDF Renewables, AES Clean Energy, Cypress Creek Renewables are all actively scouting and developing in Texas.

Can wind stack with other uses?

Yes — and this is one of the underappreciated advantages of wind. Turbines occupy a tiny fraction of the leased acreage, so:

• Cattle grazing continues under and around turbines
• Row crops (cotton, sorghum, wheat) plant right up to the access roads
• Mineral rights remain yours — wind is a surface lease only; oil & gas leasing can proceed in parallel
• Hunting leases continue on the same acreage

Texas landowners with strong wind potential often stack wind royalties + ag + mineral leases + hunting = substantially more income than any single use.

Next step

Run a free Landholder.com assessment — we'll score your Texas parcel using NREL's actual wind resource data at your coordinates and identify which Texas wind developers actively work in your county.