N.M. ranch a glimmer of what renewable energy can mean to Arizona

When you turn on a light in Phoenix, you might be connecting with windmills on Steve Tapia's land in New Mexico. The 77-year-old rancher and his wife are among the property owners leasing out sites for 90 giant wind turbines on the stark Aragonne Mesa, halfway between Albuquerque and the Texas line. "It's been good wind since I was born," he says. "Now, we're making money from it." Arizona Public Service buys the energy output, enough to power about 25,000 homes. Tapia had his doubts about the towering white structures with three whirling blades. With his substantial belt, hefty bola tie and a face with the same hard lines as the rocks on the mesa, the former sheriff is a picture of the traditional West. But now, he likes the windmills' sleek silhouettes along the ridge line. Especially since the extra income helps keep his ranching operations going. This is the new West, where alternative energy is a growing business and a small but a growing source of power...read more