TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A developer is exploring the potential for what would be Arizona’s biggest wind farm on an expanse of high desert in Pinal County about 30 miles north of Tucson.But the company’s plan to erect up to 83 wind turbines at the site known as Oak Wells has already drawn opposition from local ranchers who say the wind farm would harm rangeland as well as the environment and native wildlife.

In the shift to clean energy, wind has become an increasingly coveted commodity. In coastal areas, offshore winds present an opportunity to replace significant amounts of electricity generated through the burning of coal and natural gas with power harnessed by legions of oversized, spinning turbines and sent ashore through miles of undersea cable.