Solar panels.
TNS
After a decade, a new wind farm appears to be moving forward in an area about 30 miles north of Flagstaff.
Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources’ project hopes to bring 61 wind turbines and between 400 and 600 acres of solar panels and battery storage to an area east of Valle.
The turbines would have a maximum height of 614 feet from their base to the blade tip. The entire Babbitt Ranch Energy Center would generate a maximum of 160 megawatts of electricity.
The total area of the project is approximately 42,670 acres, a mix of private land owned by Babbitt Ranches and State Trust land. But during a town hall virtual meeting last month, overall, project leader Wardah Abbasi said the structures would only cover about 1,000 acres of the area.
“The closest residents are about eight kilometers from the closest turban locations. We are still working on defining the final location for this solar system. This is determined based on location constraints such as topography, geology and cultural resources, ”Abbasi said during the meeting. “We are currently conducting numerous environmental studies as part of our permit process, including cultural resource studies, natural resource and wildlife studies, and visual analysis and simulations.”
According to NextEra, most residents at this distance cannot hear any noise from the turbines and are unlikely to even see them.
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