Babbitt Ranches family farm has been a fixture in Flagstaff, AZ since 1886, which, history buffs may note, was 26 years before Arizona became a state. How does a wind farm fit into the picture? It’s safe to say the Ranches have always been a little ahead of the curve, so providing renewable energy to the Salt River Project probably didn’t surprise anyone familiar with the family farming enterprise.
Operated by NextEra and Salt River Project, Babbitt Ranch Energy Center’s 50 GE turbines began generating electricity in September, 2024. It has recently added battery storage, and a Google data center that will benefit from the “clean, homegrown power” is under construction nearby.
Over the facility’s lifespan, Babbitt Ranch Energy Center is expected to generate about $9.5 million in additional tax revenue for the Coconino County area. The fourth generation of the family is committed to growing its legacy of Cowboy Stewardship, Conservation, and Community. You can learn more about Babbitt Ranches here, and see how SRP took the top spot overall in the 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Energy Utilities Study.
We featured the Babbitt Ranch Energy Center as our Wind Farm of the Week in the July 1 Uptime podcast and congratulated everyone working there. Customer Service is critical to the success of energy projects – and it takes a whole-team effort to do it well. And oh-by-the-way, you can get the inside scoop on how Babbitt Ranches manages things in the organization’s own podcast, Discovery with Babbitt Ranches. Find it here.
Image credit: SRP and NextEra Energy
How Does a Wind Farm Contribute to the Local Economy?
In addition to directly providing jobs and energy to area residents, wind energy projects also contribute to the local economy by developing infrastructure (such as roads) and providing services that support area businesses, which in turn provide jobs that can be attributed to the project, indirectly. In the case of Babbitt Ranches, the economic impact is broad, as much of the energy generated will power a Google data center, which would not have located in the area without adequate, dependable energy resources.
And as was the case for the Babbitt Ranches Energy Center, wind farm developers contribute to local organizations by funding many community programs.
Find out more about Babbitt Ranches here and listen to the Uptime Wind Energy podcast to catch our featured Wind Farm of the Week!
