A Conversation About Wind Energy
By: Spencer Prosser (Adapted from Spencer’s speech at the Diablo Trust Annual Meeting, Feb 21, 2025)
I don’t believe wind is the sole solution to the world’s energy problems, but it should be included in the energy portfolio. As always, I am glad to talk about this over dinner, like any good discussion.
Energy Realities
Arizona Public Service is moving aggressively toward renewable energy in Arizona. This will happen over the next 20 years, with the goal of 100% renewable energy in the state. Why is this happening? It’s not just politics; Silicon Valley is driving it. The largest companies in America—Google, Facebook, Amazon, and more—are pushing for over 90% renewable energy by 2030-2050. No matter what, the market is moving in this direction. They’re being helped with subsidies. You can complain to Congress about wind subsidies all you want, but it won’t stop major corporations from prioritizing renewables, just like how we built coal plants in Northern Arizona using subsidies. The energy transition continues.
Logistically, the Southwest is the best for solar and the Central Plains for wind, with some additional pockets elsewhere, like Northern Arizona. It’s not efficient to move energy very far, so we need to look at where we produce it. Our wind is not as strong as Nebraska’s, but we have close to 40 million people while the Central Plains do not. Population growth and rising electricity demand is a problem. Renewables are part of the solution.
Landscape & Viewshed
I would not have supported wind energy 20 years ago. It was visually unappealing and economically inefficient. But today’s turbines are significantly better. We went from needing more than 30 150-foot-tall towers per section producing 0.7 milliwatts (mW) to 2.2 350-foot-tall towers per section generating more than 6 mW. We’ll disturb 2,000 to 4,000 acres out of the ranch’s 350,000. That’s roughly 1% of the total land, or 3.5% of private land. The project will remove about 20 cows permanently, and a few more just during construction. About 7-8% of private land will be disturbed during construction and most of that will be reseeded. Some roads will be repurposed, too, reducing the overall impact over time. Viewshed impact is more subjective. You might be able to see a tower from 75% of the private land, and see some change from 30% of the ranch. But if you can’t see the turbines through the trees, does it count? This project is huge, but maybe the impacts are not as big as you think.
Land, Wildlife, and Clean-Up
The ranch has seen more than a few dirt projects over the years. We did 40,000 acres of chaining that as a kid made me wonder if the landscape would recover. Some years we lose all the gramma grass, leading me to believe we’d never feed another quail in my life. We’ve dug pipelines, drilled wells, and dug tanks and ditches. The land around all those projects has recovered, and then some. Now I know: if you give Mother Nature half a chance, she will show you that she is three steps ahead at all times. If we hate the turbines in 40 years, we can remove them. The land will heal and we can move on, knowing more. What about all the traffic disturbing migrations? I viewed a wind project on the Babbitt ranches a few years ago. I was on the “highway,” where at least 150 semi-trucks drove up and down all day. My heart races thinking about this with the wildlife on the Bar T Bar, but on that tour I saw 40 head of antelope laying down about 100 yards from this train of infrastructure. They could not have cared less, maybe because they are used to the highway of traffic from side-by-side recreators (like the rest of us). I took a picture, laughed a little, and finished the tour with a bit less anxiety.
Jobs & Economic Impact
One of my biggest surprises touring the O’Haco wind farm and speaking with people in five states was how many jobs wind energy creates. The residual effect of a wind farm isn’t just energy—it’s employment. Northern Arizona needs economic opportunities and this project could bring 50- 100 well-paying jobs. Who else is investing in this region at that scale?
Family, Estate, and the Future
What makes me most nervous about this is the timing. My parents are wrapping up their run on the ranch. I don’t know if they’ll work for another 5 years or 20, but I do know this is the last thing they want to deal with. To this, I have no answer other than to say sorry, and thanks. Estate planning is complicated. The ranch will need to support more people with every generation. My family will have 50-70 people in 50 years— very different from the last generation (my mother is an only child). What are options? I know of only three: The Biblical one of giving everything to the eldest son. It was simple: your life was clear by the age of 5. The next is to split assets equally amongst heirs. That means having 50 people fighting with different degrees of interest and involvement in the company, with equal outcome.
The last option is to give more estate to the more involved kids.
Options 2 and 3 nearly always require selling the ranch to make ends meet. I dislike all three options (not just because I’m the second born). My brother and I both agree that it makes the most sense to grow the business and create liquid assets that can be transferred to family members who want out at a discount. This takes pressure off the land, livestock, and family relationships. Renewable energy is one way to accomplish this.
Starting businesses from scratch is hard, I’ve done it twice. It cost me time with my family and financial risk. Diversifying our income with other ventures has great value. This was likely the reason that my family board approved the decision to move forward with discussions on renewables.
Final Thoughts
I don’t know the future—estate planning, cattle markets, climate conditions, or the long-term viability of renewables. What I do know is that we made the best decision possible with the information at hand, aligned with our vision of keeping this ranch running for another 100 years.
Thanks for reading.
